Longtime Royals catcher, manager John Wathan to retire
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Longtime big league catcher and manager John Wathan announced he’s retiring after the season — and after spending 47 of his 51 years in professional baseball with the Kansas City Royals. Wathan was a first-round pick of the Royals in 1971 and spent 10 seasons behind the plate for them, including their 1985 World Series title season. Wathan went into coaching and managed the Royals from 1987 into the 1991 season before spending part of the 1992 season managing the Angels. He also did some broadcasting work for Kansas City before returning to the Royals in a player development role, helping the club win two AL pennants and the 2015 World Series.