Royals Hall of Fame Night

We invite you to join us for a special pre-game ceremony celebrating the Royals Hall of Fame induction of newest member, John Wathan. The Royals will take on the Philadelphia Phillies, where John’s son Dusty currently serves as the third base coach. Let’s celebrate John as he becomes the newest member of the Royals Hall of Fame!

The Royals Hall of Fame was established in 1986 to celebrate the accomplishments of those players, managers, and other personnel who have made exceptional contributions to Kansas City Royals Baseball - and on 2026 Royals Hall of Fame Night presented by Commerce Bank, we'll do just that.

John Wathan, who served the ballclub as a player, manager, coach, broadcaster, and in baseball operations during six different decades, had one of the longest careers in Royals history. Nicknamed “The Duke” for his John Wayne impression, Wathan displayed true grit, playing 860 career games in a Royals uniform from 1976-1985, before immediately starting his coaching and managerial career.

The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native boasts a career batting average of .262 while also tearing up the basepaths, setting the MLB single-season stolen base record for a catcher with 36 bags in 1982. His ten-year playing career started in 1976 on the Royals first division championship club and concluded with the club’s first World Series Championship in 1985. From 1987-1991, John managed the club to 287 wins, then third most in club history. Wathan was also a broadcaster (1996-97) and later became a fixture in scouting and player development (1999-2022).