Dusty Wathan Explained

Dusty Wathan
Team:Philadelphia Phillies
Number:62
Position:Catcher/ Coach
Bats:Right
Throws:Right
Birth Date:22 August 1973
Birth Place:Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:September 24
Debutyear:2002
Debutteam:Kansas City Royals
Finalleague:MLB
Finaldate:September 29
Finalyear:2002
Finalteam:Kansas City Royals
Statleague:MLB
Stat1label:Batting average
Stat1value:.600
Stat2label:Home runs
Stat2value:0
Stat3label:Runs batted in
Stat3value:1
Teams:As player

As coach

Dustin James Wathan (born August 22, 1973) is an American former professional catcher who played for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) in, and who is currently the third base coach for the Philadelphia Phillies. He is a former manager of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Phillies in the International League.

Early life

Wathan was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He attended Blue Springs High School in Blue Springs, Missouri, and Cerritos College in Norwalk, California. In 1994, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[1]

Baseball career

Playing career

Wathan began his minor league playing career in 1994 with the AZL Mariners. In, Wathan was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies organization and played for the Reading Phillies and Ottawa Lynx. He was the final out recorded in Lynx history, after grounding out to end the 2007 Lynx season which would go down as their final campaign. Wathan retired at the end of the 2007 season.

Wathan played 13 seasons in the minor leagues. In 3,216 at bats, he hit .273/.360/.382 with 58 home runs, 24 stolen bases, and 417 RBIs.[2] He played 831 games at catcher, 123 games at first base, five games at third base, and pitched in three games.

In 2002, he played in three games in the major leagues at catcher for the Kansas City Royals, batting 3-for-5.[3]

Managerial and coaching career

In 2008, Wathan began his managerial career in the Phillies organization with the Williamsport Crosscutters of the Low–A New York–Penn League. He managed the Lakewood BlueClaws (Single–A South Atlantic League) in 2009 to win the league championship. From 2010 to 2011, he led the High–A Clearwater Threshers of the Florida State League. He managed the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils of the Eastern League from 2012 to 2016.[4] On July 22, 2016, he became the winningest manager in team history.[5] Before the 2017 season, he was promoted to manage the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the Triple–A International League.

On November 10, 2017, Wathan was named the third base coach on new Phillies skipper Gabe Kapler's staff.[6] On October 27, 2022, the Phillies signed Wathan to a multi–year contract extension.[7]

Personal life

His father is former Major League Baseball player and manager John Wathan. His brother, Derek, played in minor league baseball from 1998 to 2008.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League . capecodbaseball.org . January 9, 2020.
  2. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=wathan001dus Dusty Wathan Minor Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com
  3. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wathadu01.shtml Dusty Wathan Stats | Baseball-Reference.com
  4. Web site: Dusty Wathan Minor League Statistics and History. Baseball-Reference.com. September 22, 2016.
  5. https://www.milb.com/milb/news/wathan-becomes-readings-all-time-winningest-manager/c-191187196/t-185364810 Wathan Becomes Reading's All-Time Winningest Manager | MiLB.com
  6. Web site: Phillies Tab Wathan as Next IronPigs Manager. MiLB.com. September 19, 2016. September 22, 2016.
  7. Web site: Report: Dusty Wathan to Sign Multi-Year Extension With Phillies. June 29, 2023. si.com. en.