| John Bates | |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Bats: | Unknown |
| Throws: | Unknown |
| Birth Date: | May 28, 1868 |
| Birth Place: | Ohio |
| Death Place: | Oakland, California |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | August 25 |
| Debutyear: | 1889 |
| Debutteam: | Kansas City Cowboys |
| Finalleague: | MLB |
| Finaldate: | August 25 |
| Finalyear: | 1889 |
| Finalteam: | Kansas City Cowboys |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Stat1label: | Win–loss record |
| Stat1value: | 0–1 |
| Stat3label: | Strikeouts |
| Stat3value: | 3 |
| Stat2label: | Earned run average |
| Stat2value: | 13.50 |
| Teams: | |
John William Bates (May 28, 1868 – March 24, 1919) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He played in one game, on August 25, 1889, for the Kansas City Cowboys of the American Association. He started the game and pitched an eight inning complete game, allowing 12 earned runs and recording the loss. After his brief time with the Cowboys, he played for another two years with the Austin Senators in the Texas League.