John Wathan

Lore & Background

Wathan, nicknamed 'The Duke' for his dead-on impersonations of John Wayne, set the single-season stolen base record for catchers in 1982 with 36 steals. He was drafted in the first round, fourth overall, in the 1971 MLB draft from the University of San Diego, where he played college baseball for the Toreros from 1968 to 1970.

In Their Own Story

The heat radiated off the Texas asphalt as the seventh-inning sun beat down on Arlington Stadium. Wathan stepped into the batter's box, the familiar weight of the bat balanced perfectly in his hands. The crowd, a sea of blue and red, held its breath. With a crack that echoed through the stadium walls, he sent the ball soaring over the left-field fence, a moment of pure power that cemented another chapter in Rangers lore.

Reader's Guide

Wathan 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 in an unspecified year, when he played 126 games, batting .305 with 6 home runs and 58 RBI. After retiring, he coached for the Royals in 1986, managed their AAA Omaha Royals farm club, then managed the big-league Royals from August 28 of an unspecified year through 1991, with two winning seasons. He also managed the California Angels in 1992, leading them to a 39–50 record as acting manager. Later, he worked as a Boston Red Sox coach, a color analyst on Royals telecasts, and a scout and minor league instructor.

Did You Know?

• Wathan stole 36 bases in 1982, breaking Ray Schalk's 1916 record for catchers.
• Two of John's sons, Derek and Dusty, played professional baseball; Dusty played briefly for the Royals in 2002 and is now bench coach for the Philadelphia Phillies.
• Wathan was a first-round pick (fourth overall) in the 1971 MLB draft.