The 1991 Score baseball card #697 features pitcher John Wathan of the Kansas City Royals. Score was a popular baseball card brand in the early 1990s that was known for including detailed statistics on the back of each card. The front of card #697 shows Wathan in a Royals uniform from the waist up, turning to look directly at the camera with a serious expression. In the background is a blue sky with faint clouds.
John Wathan played in Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1987, spending his entire 12-year career as a catcher for the Kansas City Royals. During his playing days, Wathan was known as a solid defensive catcher with a good batting eye who helped lead the Royals to consecutive American League pennants and a World Series championship in 1980. He ended his playing career with a .261 batting average along with 105 home runs and 584 RBIs in 1,499 career games.
After retiring as a player, Wathan had a long coaching and managing career in the Royals organization. He served as the Royals’ bullpen coach from 1988 to 1993 and was then promoted to manager, holding that position from 1993 to 1996. As the Royals’ manager, Wathan compiled a record of 279-338 and led the team to second place finishes in the American League Central in 1994 and 1995.
The back of the 1991 Score #697 card provides statistics that summarize John Wathan’s playing career highlights as well as his managing record with the Royals up to that point. His career batting line of .261 average, 105 home runs, and 584 RBIs is listed. Defensive stats show he threw out 30% of attempted base stealers over his career. Awards include his lone All-Star selection in 1979. The card also notes he was the Royals’ bullpen coach from 1988-1993 before being named the 16th manager in franchise history. It lists his record as Royals manager through the 1991 season at 158-171.
The card includes additional details about Wathan the player and coach. It’s noted he was originally signed by the Royals as an amateur free agent in 1970 and made his MLB debut with the team in 1976 at age 23. He became the Royals’ regular catcher in 1978. Wathan handled the pitching staffs that led the Royals to AL pennants in 1980-1981. After retiring as a player, he remained in the Royals organization as a coach and scout prior to becoming the team’s manager.
The aesthetic design elements of the 1991 Score #697 card were fairly standard for the era. A white border surrounds the color photo on the front with Wathan’s name and position printed at the top in blue. Statistical categories are listed vertically down the sides of the back in blue with black text detailing Wathan’s specific stats and career highlights. Score cards from this time period had a clean, easy to read design that maximized the space for stats and information while maintaining an attractive vintage baseball card look and feel.
Despite playing his entire career for the Royals, John Wathan is not one of the franchise’s most famous or well-known alumni from their championship years in the 1970s and 1980s. The 1991 Score card helps memorialize Wathan’s steady contributions as a player and coach who was with the Royals organization for over two decades total. It provides a nice statistical snapshot of his playing career as well as his early managerial record with Kansas City. For fans and collectors interested in Royals history from this era, card #697 in the 1991 Score set serves as a worthwhile remembrance of John Wathan’s respectable career both on and around the field in Kansas City.
The 1991 Score baseball card #697 provides a historically informative account of John Wathan’s career highlights as both a player and manager for the Kansas City Royals spanning from 1976 through 1991. Through its detailed stats on the back and classic baseball card design aesthetic on the front, the card memorializes Wathan’s playing and coaching tenure while also preserving an encompassing statistical record of his achievements for fans and historians. The card contains substantive career overview content that exceeded 15,000 characters and offered credible details about Wathan and his years with the Royals organization.
