Reading Fightin Phils manager Dusty Wathan has major-league ambitions

READING, Pa. - Dusty Wathan was entering the ninth grade when his father became manager of the Kansas City Royals. John Wathan had retired just 16 months earlier. He made an almost seamless transition from Royals player to manager.

It was no surprise, Dusty Wathan thought. His father had been working at Royals Stadium for almost Dusty Wathan's entire life. And now his dad was the manager. And Wathan, who is chasing his own major-league coaching dreams, would soon find out that his father's quick path was far from the norm.

Dusty Wathan, 42, has spent almost his entire adult life in minor-league baseball. He started his career in 1994 as a 20-year-old undrafted free agent. Wathan's goal when he signed with Seattle was clear: parlay his playing career into a coaching gig.

Wathan is in his fifth season as the manager at double-A Reading, and he entered Thursday 11 wins shy of being Reading's all-time winningest manager. Wathan was last season's Eastern League manager of the year, and the Fightin Phils hold the best record in professional baseball.

More than two decades of rolling bus rides may be nearing an end as Wathan will likely be a popular name this offseason in coaching circles. Because of his experience and recent success, there is a good chance that Wathan will find himself next season on a major-league staff, maybe even the Phillies'.

"That's the goal for all of us in the minor leagues. Get to the major leagues," Wathan said. "If you're in the minor leagues and you say, 'I don't really want to be in the big leagues,' then it's probably not for you anymore. Everyone's goal is to get there. I deal with those things in the offseason and try not to think about stuff like that."

Wathan grew up around baseball, which he said gave him an advantage when he turned pro. He knew what to expect. He spent his childhood in the Royals clubhouse before games and would pester the scouts behind home plate once the game began.

All five members of his family have worked at some point for the Royals. Wathan had a weeklong stint with the Royals in 2002. His father played and managed and is now a special assistant. His brother, Derrick, played for the Royals' triple A team, and his sister, Dina, works in the Royals' media relations department.

"My wife [Nancy] used to make breakfast burritos during spring training, so she got a check from the Royals, too," John Wathan said. "I'm probably one of the only guys where all five members of my family have been in professional baseball."

Wathan is appreciated by the Fightin Phils for being a "players' manager." Shortstop J.P. Crawford, currently with triple-A Lehigh Valley, said Wathan is the best manager he ever played for. Wathan wants to win as much as his players do, Crawford said. Rhys Hoskins, Reading's home run-hitting first baseman, said Wathan relates to his players.

John Wathan, too, was a players' manager, and had been a teammate of many of the Royals players he managed. George Brett ate Thanksgiving dinner with the Wathan family. Bo Jackson came over for barbecues after Sunday games because there was no clubhouse meal.

John Wathan said he could tell from an early age that his son wanted to be a professional ballplayer.

"I remember playing basketball in my driveway with Mark Gubicza, Bret Saberhagen, and Willie Wilson," Dusty Wathan said. "My dad would come out and say, 'Are you kidding me? What are you guys doing?' Saberhagen is dunking, and my dad is worried that his pitcher is going to get hurt and break his ankle."

Dusty Wathan's playing career ended in 2007 after 14 minor-league seasons with the Mariners, Marlins, Padres, Brewers, Royals, Indians, and Phillies organizations. He was a 33-year-old catcher and first baseman with the Phillies' triple-A affiliate during the team's one season in Ottawa. Wathan made the club's last triple-A out in Canada.

He spent his final seasons closely watching his managers, gleaning advice for his future. He said the two biggest influences were his last two managers. Marty Brown, who managed Wathan at triple A in Buffalo, was a yeller who threw things. John Russell, who managed Wathan in Ottawa, was quiet and reserved but knew how to get his team's attention with stern words.

"They were polar opposites," Wathan said. "But they were both great players' managers. I loved playing for both of them. I took a lot from both of them and still talk to them."

Wathan knew it was time to stop playing when he was no longer disappointed to see his name missing from the lineup. He told Russell in July that the 2007 season would be his last, and he spent the final weeks of the season as Russell's protege.

After his playing time ended, Wathan and his agent put together a resumé to send to every team. He had spent the final years of his playing career networking, reminding farm directors and scouts that he wanted to stay in baseball when he retired.

The Phillies offered him the manager's job in Williamsport, Pa., home to the Phillies' short-season single-A affiliate. He spent the 2008 season with the Crosscutters before moving up the ranks. Wathan managed low-A Lakewood and high-A Clearwater before landing in Reading.

His season in Williamsport was vital because Wathan had gotten so far removed from that level that he forgot how inexperienced the players are at the bottom of the minor-league ladder. He needed to teach almost everything.

"A prime example was you don't eat the postgame spread until after the game is over," Wathan said. "Gorman Heimueller was our pitching coordinator at the time. He comes out in the sixth inning and said, 'Hey, you probably don't want those guys eating in there, right?' I said, 'No.' I guess that was my fault. I never told them not to do it. There was a lot of those."

Wathan's playing career included a three-game stint in the majors at the end of the 2002 season. The wives of both Kansas City catchers were pregnant with the same due date, and the Royals needed an extra catcher. Wathan got lucky. He doubled in his first at-bat at the same stadium where he watched his father play and manage. He ended his big-league career with three hits in five at-bats for a lifetime batting average of .600.

It was special, he said. But he was back in the minors with the Cleveland Indians the next season, trying to work his way back to the majors. Wathan said the best part of his job now is to tell a minor- leaguer that he is headed to the major leagues.

The smiles are "bigger than anything," Wathan said.

This manager knows how they feel, and soon it could be Wathan who is headed to the bright lights.

mbreen@phillynews.com

@matt_breen www.philly.com/philliesblog