John Wathan
Catcher, manager, and coach who spent his entire MLB playing career with the Kansas City Royals and set the single-season stolen base record for catchers.
John David Wathan (born October 4, 1949) is an American former professional baseball catcher, manager, and coach. He played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Kansas City Royals from 1976 to 1985 and was a member of the world champion 1985 Kansas City Royals team. Originally drafted as a shortstop, he converted to catcher early in his professional career.
Quick Facts
- Position
- Catcher
- World series appearances
- 1980 (L), 1985 (W)
Lore & Background
Wathan, nicknamed 'The Duke' for his dead-on impersonations of John Wayne, was drafted in the first round, fourth overall, in the 1971 MLB January draft (secondary phase) from the University of San Diego, where he played college baseball from 1968–70 (the team was not known as the Toreros until 1972). He played ten seasons with the Royals, appearing in 860 games with a .262 batting average, 21 home runs, 261 RBIs, and 105 stolen bases. His best season was 1980, when he batted .305 with 6 home runs and 58 RBI in 126 games. Wathan set the single-season stolen base record for catchers in 1982 with 36 steals, breaking Ray Schalk's 1916 record of 30. After retiring, he coached for the Royals in 1986, managed the Royals from 1987 to 1991 (with winning seasons in 1988 and 1989, both second-place finishes in the AL West), and managed the California Angels in 1992, replacing Doug Rader as interim manager on May 13, 1992, after Rader was fired on May 12. He also worked as a coach, color analyst, scout, and minor league instructor for several organizations.
Reader's Guide
John Wathan is best known as a catcher who spent his entire playing career with the Kansas City Royals, winning a World Series in 1985. He later managed the Royals and the California Angels. His son Dusty Wathan played briefly for the Royals in 2002 and is currently the bench coach for the Philadelphia Phillies.
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