CLEVELAND -- John “Duke” Wathan spent 51 years in baseball, 47 of those with the Royals, with a variety of job titles: Coach, manager, broadcaster, scout, roving instructor and special assistant to player development.
None of those beat his first title, though: Major League Baseball player. And more specifically, World Series winner.
“I wanted to play in the big leagues when I was eight years old,” Wathan said. “To be able to play for the Royals for 10 years and then stay with them all these years, it’s very special for me. I tell most people, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do when I have to grow up and get a real job.’”
Wathan announced his retirement this week, putting an end to his long baseball career. He’ll turn 73 next week, and is ready to spend his time “with grandkids and on the golf course.”
“It’s been a great run,” Wathan told MLB.com this week. “I’m really blessed to be able to be with the Royals that long and to stay in baseball that long.”
Selected by the Royals with the No. 4 overall pick in MLB’s 1971 January Draft, Wathan spent 10 seasons with the club, mainly as a catcher. He was part of the franchise’s first World Series title in ’85, his final season in the Majors, and was on first base when Dane Iorg hit his iconic single in the ninth inning to win Game 6 of the 1985 World Series.
Wathan hit .305 as part of the 1980 American League champion team. In 1982, he had 36 stolen bases, a Major League record for catchers that still stands.
“To get there and have the opportunity to play was a real blessing,” Wathan said. “Whitey Herzog was the No. 1 guy who got me through. He was my favorite manager. I can never thank him enough. And he was the one who told a writer, I think in my second season playing, that I would manage one day.”
The Royals named Wathan their manager in 1987 at the age of 37. In parts of five seasons, including a short stint at the end of '87 then four full years through '91, he went 287-270.
“Getting to manage for four years in Kansas City was something I really wasn’t expecting,” Wathan said. “I came up from Omaha when Dick Howser got sick, and I was only 37. I had seven guys who I played with that I was now managing. But when you get an opportunity, you don’t know if you’re going to get it again, so I took it.”
One of Wathan’s favorite memories is witnessing George Brett’s three batting titles in three decades from different perspectives: The first two as a teammate in 1976 and ’80, and the third as Brett’s manager in ’90.
“That was special for me,” Wathan said. “Managing George Brett is the easiest job in the world. You just pencil him in the third spot every day and watch him work. Pretty easy."
Wathan went on to manage and coach for the Angels and serve as the Red Sox bullpen coach. In 1995, he switched titles, becoming a broadcast analyst for The Baseball Network and then working alongside Denny Matthews on the Royals Radio Network from 1996-97.
Wathan began his tenure on the scouting and player development side of the organization in 1999, and he’s been there ever since.
“I love the Minor Leagues,” Wathan said. “I love seeing the smiles on those kids’ faces when you maybe tell them something that helps them win a game or get better. They’re just eager to learn. It gives you a lot of gratification as a coach to see them move on through the ranks from rookie ball all the way up.”
Wathan is a Royal through and through, and the rest of his family has joined him. Wathan’s daughter, Dina Blevins, works in the Royals’ community impact department. His sons, Dusty and Derek, both played professionally in the Royals’ organization, with Dusty now serving as the third base coach for the Phillies.
Even Wathan’s wife of 51 years -- they married before his first Minor League Spring Training in 1971 -- earned a few paychecks from the Royals, Wathan said. Nancy used to make breakfast burritos for the players during Spring Training.
“So all five of us have worked for the Royals at some point or another,” Wathan said. “I don’t see how anybody can top that.”