John Wathan

Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=#15317E
bgcolor2=#15317E
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=John Wathan
position=Catcher
bats=Right
throws=Right
debutdate=May 26
debutyear=1976
debutteam=Kansas City Royals
finaldate=October 6
finalyear=1985
finalteam=Kansas City Royals
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.262
stat2label=Stolen bases
stat2value=105
stat3label=Runs
stat3value=305
teams=
*Kansas City Royals (by|1976-by|1985)
highlights=
*American League pennant: 1980, 1985
*World Series champion: 1985

John David Wathan (pronEng|ˈwɑθn̩; born October 4, 1949 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and manager for the Kansas City Royals. He was considered one of the rare catchers with speed, having 105 stolen bases during his career, including 36 in 1982 which broke the single-season record for catchers set by Ray Schalk in 1916 even after missing four weeks with a broken ankle earlier in the season. In by|2006-07, Wathan was a roving baserunning and bunting instructor in Kansas City's farm system and in 2008 he served the Royals as a special assistant to the director of player development.

Wathan — nicknamed "Duke" for his dead-on impersonations of John Wayne — was drafted in the first round, fourth overall in the 1971 MLB Draft from the University of San Diego. Wathan played ten seasons with the Royals from by|1976 to by|1985 where he played in 860 games, averaging a career .261 batting average with 21 home runs and 261 RBIs. Wathan has his best season in by|1980 in which he played in 126 games, and had a .305 batting average.

After he retired, Wathan became the manager for Kansas City's AAA Omaha Royals farm club and he was promoted manager for the big-league Royals on August 28, by|1987. He managed five seasons in Kansas City, having two winning seasons in by|1988 and by|1989 and finishing second in the American League Western Division both times. He was fired early in the by|1991 season after a 15-22 start.

In by|1992, Wathan began the season as the third-base coach of the California Angels, but he was named acting manager midway through the campaign when Buck Rodgers was badly hurt in a bus accident and took a medical leave of absence. Wathan led the Angels to a 39-50 record until Rodgers was well enough to return. He spent by|1994 as a Boston Red Sox coach, and has worked as a scout and minor league instructor for a number of organizations since.

His son, Derek Wathan is currently playing in Minor League Baseball for the Omaha Royals. His other son Dusty is a retired cather who now manages the single A team of the Philadelphia Phillies, the Williamsport Crosscutters.

External links

* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/w/wathajo01.shtml John Wathan career statistics]