John Wathan

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1976-1985)

John Wathan was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1985 for the Kansas City Royals, a span of 10 seasons. In 860 career games, he hit .262 with 656 hits, 21 home runs, and 261 RBI.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

AVG .262
HR 21
RBI 261
H 656
OPS .661
PIV -2,450
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 205 lb
Born
10/4/1949 in Cedar Rapids, IA, USA
MLB Debut
1976-05-26
Last Game
1985-10-06

Full name: John David Wathan

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Career Batting Statistics

John Wathan — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
860 2,505 305 656 90 25 21 261 105 199 265 .262 .318 .343 .661 -2,450

Career AVG .262 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .318 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .343 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 11.1% below league average.

Career OPS .661 vs. league average .710 across their career seasons — 7.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

John Wathan Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1976 KCA AL 27 42 5 12 1 0 0 5 0 2 5 .286 — — — — 0.0
1977 KCA AL 55 119 18 39 5 3 2 21 2 5 8 .328 .264 (+24%) .329 (+5%) .401 (+17%) .730 (+12%) 190.0
1978 KCA AL 67 190 19 57 10 1 2 28 2 3 12 .300 .257 (+16%) .323 (-1%) .378 (+4%) .702 (+2%) 3.5
1979 KCA AL 90 199 26 41 7 3 2 28 2 7 24 .206 .265 (-22%) .329 (-31%) .397 (-24%) .727 (-27%) -964.9
1980 KCA AL 126 453 57 138 14 7 6 58 17 50 42 .305 .264 (+15%) .326 (+15%) .387 (+5%) .714 (+10%) 1012.0
1981 KCA AL 89 301 24 76 9 3 1 19 11 19 23 .252 .255 (-1%) .320 (-7%) .368 (-15%) .688 (-11%) -533.6
1982 KCA AL 121 448 79 121 11 3 3 51 36 48 46 .270 .261 (+3%) .324 (+6%) .388 (-16%) .712 (-6%) -262.7
1983 KCA AL 128 437 49 107 18 3 2 32 28 27 56 .245 .260 (-6%) .324 (-11%) .389 (-19%) .714 (-16%) -1088.2
1984 KCA AL 97 171 17 31 7 1 2 10 6 21 34 .181 .259 (-30%) .322 (-16%) .384 (-30%) .707 (-24%) -611.2
1985 KCA AL 60 145 11 34 8 1 1 9 1 17 15 .234 .257 (-9%) .323 (-1%) .390 (-17%) .714 (-10%) -195.3
Career · 10 seasons 860 2,505 305 656 90 25 21 261 105 199 265 .262 — — — — -2,450

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

John Wathan — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
18 34 3 5 0 0 0 1 6 7 .147

Playoff Batting by Year

John Wathan — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1985 WS KCA 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
1984 ALCS KCA 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 AWDIV KCA 3 10 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 .300
1980 ALCS KCA 3 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 .000
1980 WS KCA 3 7 1 2 0 0 0 1 2 1 .286
1978 ALCS KCA 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1977 ALCS KCA 4 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000
1976 ALCS KCA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (860 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

John Wathan — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home441123916933013144.266
Away41912661363268117.258

Last 10 Games — Batting

John Wathan — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1985-10-06 KCROAKL 400000000
1985-09-19 KCRSEAL 300000000
1985-09-17 KCRSEAL 100000000
1985-09-15 KCROAKL 000000000
1985-09-10 KCRLAAW 400000000
1985-09-09 KCRLAAL 300000000
1985-09-08 KCRMILW 000000010
1985-09-07 KCRMILW 421000000
1985-09-06 KCRMILW 501100101
1985-09-05 KCRMILW 312000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

John Wathan — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 196 103 1082 87 7 100
C 572 495 2224 194 44 23
OF 64 48 82 3 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

John Wathan — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1976 KCA 1B 3 1 6 0 0 0
1976 KCA C 23 8 57 4 1 1
1977 KCA 1B 5 4 26 0 1 2
1977 KCA C 35 19 130 9 1 0
1978 KCA 1B 47 31 307 22 0 20
1978 KCA C 21 16 78 6 2 0
1979 KCA 1B 49 25 264 19 2 30
1979 KCA C 23 18 70 5 1 0
1979 KCA OF 3 0 2 0 0 0
1980 KCA 1B 12 11 112 7 1 14
1980 KCA C 77 72 306 25 6 5
1980 KCA OF 35 31 54 1 1 0
1981 KCA 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1981 KCA C 73 68 300 26 7 1
1981 KCA OF 16 13 15 2 0 0
1982 KCA 1B 3 2 19 2 0 2
1982 KCA C 120 116 463 38 10 3
1983 KCA 1B 37 27 244 26 3 24
1983 KCA C 92 89 360 32 6 5
1983 KCA OF 9 3 11 0 0 0
1984 KCA 1B 33 1 91 10 0 8
1984 KCA C 59 49 213 21 6 2
1984 KCA OF 1 1 0 0 0 0
1985 KCA 1B 6 1 12 1 0 0
1985 KCA C 49 40 247 28 4 6

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

John Wathan Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 571
First Base 197
Left Field 28
Right Field 39
Designated Hitter 19

Salary History

John Wathan's recorded salaries total $825,000 over 2 seasons, 1985 to 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Wathan's career ran from 1976 to 1985. His seasons before 1985 are not included.

John Wathan — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1986 KCA AL $400,000
1985 KCA AL $425,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $825,000

College History

John Wathan — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of San Diego San Diego CA 1968, 1969, 1970

Award Voting History

John Wathan — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1980 Most Valuable Player AL 24th 1.0 392 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

John Wathan (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    John Grim
    .267 avg, 16 HR
  2. 94
    Julio Rojo
    .265 avg, 10 HR
  3. 92
    Mike Gonzalez
    .253 avg, 13 HR
  4. 88
    Frank Duncan
    .255 avg, 14 HR
  5. 88
    William Clarke
    .256 avg, 20 HR
  6. 88
    Jack O'Brien
    .266 avg, 11 HR

John Wathan: the record in brief

According to the bio, John Wathan debuted on May 26, 1976 and played a final game on October 6, 1985. The team column never changes: it is the Kansas City Royals from 1976 to 1985. At 6 feet, 2 inches and 205 pounds, Wathan is listed as a catcher. Wathan both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Wathan was born on October 4, 1949, in Cedar Rapids, IA, USA. On the record, John Wathan was born John David Wathan.

Wathan finished with 656 hits from 2,505 at bats in 860 games, which works out to .262, plus 21 homers, 261 RBI, and 105 stolen bases. Wathan got on base at a .318 rate and slugged .343 (.661 OPS). Wathan hit .262 while the league hit .260 over the same span, a figure close to average. By OPS the gap is 7.0% below league average (.661 against .710). No season topped the 138 hits of 1980. On the bases, the high point was 36 steals in 1982. 1980 was the strongest of the full seasons by average: .305 against a league .264, a 15% edge.

Frequently Asked Questions about John Wathan

What years did John Wathan play?
John Wathan played in Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1985.
Was John Wathan a pitcher?
No. John Wathan was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did John Wathan hit?
John Wathan hit 21 career home runs with 656 hits.
What teams did John Wathan play for?
John Wathan played for one team, the Kansas City Royals (1976–1985).
What were John Wathan's career stats?
In 860 games, John Wathan had 656 hits, 21 home runs, 261 RBI, 305 runs, and 105 stolen bases, with a .262 batting average.
How much did John Wathan earn in his career?
John Wathan's recorded salaries total $825,000 over 2 seasons, 1985 to 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Wathan's career ran from 1976 to 1985. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
What was John Wathan's salary?
John Wathan's last recorded salary was $400,000, in 1986. His highest recorded salary was $425,000, in 1985, and his lowest was $400,000, in 1986. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1986.
What position did John Wathan play?
John Wathan played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was John Wathan and how much did he weigh?
John Wathan was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 205 pounds.
How many home runs did John Wathan hit each season?
John Wathan's home runs by season: 0 in 1976, 2 in 1977, 2 in 1978, 2 in 1979, 6 in 1980, 1 in 1981, 3 in 1982, 2 in 1983, 2 in 1984, and 1 in 1985. His most in one season was 6, in 1980.
What was John Wathan's career batting average?
John Wathan batted .262 over his career, with 656 hits in 2,505 at bats.
How many RBI did John Wathan have?
John Wathan drove in 261 runs in his career.
Is John Wathan in the Hall of Fame?
No. John Wathan has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.