KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Former Kansas City Royals player, coach, manager, broadcaster and baseball operations staffer John Wathan has been voted into the Royals Hall of Fame, the franchise announced Thursday.
Wathan, who was selected by the Royals 4th overall in the 1971 Draft and spent 47 years with the organization, will become the 32nd member of the Royals Hall of Fame.
“After 52 years in baseball and 47 with the Royals, I can honestly say I have always bled Royal blue,” Wathan said. “This is the ultimate honor for living as a Royal all those years. I couldn’t begin to thank everyone involved on this journey with me. It has been a real privilege to be with one organization that long. It is a rare feat and one that I have been so proud of for all these years.”
All 10 MLB seasons Wathan played were with the Royals, as he made his debut during the 1976 season that included Kansas City’s first American League West championship and his last coming in 1985 when the franchise won its first World Series title.
John Wathan has been inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame after 47 seasons in the organization.(Royals)
“Few people in this organization have impacted the Royals the way Duke has – serving in so many roles and contributing at such a high level over so many years,” Royals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager J.J. Picollo said. “This honor is incredibly well deserved for Duke and his family, and we’re proud to recognize a professional life devoted to the Royals and to Kansas City.”
Wathan had 36 stolen bases as a catcher in the 1982 season, a single-season MLB record that stands more than four decades later.
After retiring in 1985 as a player, Wathan moved into coaching. Wathan spent the 1986 season on the Royals coaching staff, then became the manager of Triple-A Omaha in 1987.
In August 1987, Wathan moved back to Kansas City as the Royals manager and led the MLB team to a 287-270 record from 1987-1991.
After five seasons away from the organization, Wathan returned as a broadcaster in 1996 and later became a scout for the team’s front office. He retired from working with the Royals in 2022.
Wathan’s election into the Royals Hall of Fame makes it four consecutive years in which the Royals Hall of Fame Executive Board has elected a new member.
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