John Wetteland

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Wetteland's path to the majors began when the New York Mets selected him in the 12th round of the 1984 MLB draft, but he opted not to sign, feeling he was not ready for a professional career. He enrolled at the College of San Mateo. The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Wetteland as their second choice in the secondary phase of the 1985 MLB draft, and he signed with Los Angeles. After struggling in the minors—including a 0–7 win–loss record in 15 games for the Bakersfield Dodgers in 1986—he was demoted to the Great Falls Dodgers. The Detroit Tigers selected him in the 1987 Rule 5 draft but returned him during spring training in 1988. That year, pitching for the San Antonio Missions of the Class AA Texas League, he earned 20 saves in 20 chances. He made his major league debut on May 31, 1989. After struggling with his first five starts in 1990, Wetteland asked to become a relief pitcher. Traded twice after the 1991 season, he landed with the Montreal Expos in December 1991 and became their closer in 1992. On April 5, 1995, the Expos traded Wetteland to the New York Yankees for Fernando Seguignol. During the 1996 season, he led the American League in saves with 43 and appeared in the All-Star Game. In the 1996 World Series, Wetteland recorded four saves and the Yankees won the World Series against the Atlanta Braves in six games. He won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award, recording the maximum four saves possible during the Series, tying the record for the most saves in a single postseason series (Dennis Eckersley first did it in the 1988 ALCS), and setting a record for saves in the full postseason with 7. He was awarded the 1996 Rolaids Relief Man Award. The Yankees allowed Wetteland to leave as a free agent due to the emergence of Mariano Rivera. He joined the Texas Rangers on December 16, 1996, signing a four-year contract worth $23 million. Before the 1999 season, Wetteland underwent elbow surgery, which robbed him of some of his fastball speed, forcing him to expand his repertoire to include a slider, curveball, and change-up. He was again named to the All-Star team for the 1999 season, where he pitched a scoreless 9th inning and became the first Rangers pitcher to earn an All-Star save. His 43 saves that year set a new Rangers record. His final game was on September 20, 2000, and he retired at age 33 after his Rangers contract expired during the 2000 offseason. Wetteland was awarded the Rolaids Reliever of the Decade after earning the most saves of any pitcher during the 1990s. He is also the Rangers all-time saves leader with 150. In 2005, Wetteland was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.

In Their Own Story

The Washington Nationals hired Wetteland as their bullpen coach on January 27, 2006. However, on June 15, 2006, Wetteland was relieved of his duties due to a request from manager Frank Robinson, due to a 'long line of transgressions and insubordination.' He was offered another position within the organization. Wetteland was announced as the bullpen coach for the Seattle Mariners on December 3, 2008. He served in this position until after the end of the 2010 season, when new manager Eric Wedge replaced him with Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers pitching coach Jaime Navarro.

Reader's Guide

Era at the Franchise: Wetteland's time with the Washington Nationals organization was brief—he was hired as bullpen coach on January 27, 2006, and relieved of his duties on June 15, 2006, after less than five months. He was offered another position within the organization but did not remain as bullpen coach. Playing Style: As a pitcher, Wetteland was a relief pitcher who specialized as a closer. He recorded 330 saves during his career. His signature pitch became a slider, curveball, and change-up after elbow surgery before the 1999 season forced him to expand his repertoire. Greatest Achievements: Wetteland's greatest achievements came with the New York Yankees: winning the 1996 World Series, winning the World Series Most Valuable Player Award for saving four games in the series, and setting a record for saves in the full postseason with 7. He also led the American League in saves in 1996 with 43, appeared in the All-Star Game that year, and was awarded the 1996 Rolaids Relief Man Award. He was awarded the Rolaids Reliever of the Decade for the 1990s. Legacy: For the Washington Nationals, Wetteland's legacy is as a former bullpen coach who served for less than five months in 2006 before being relieved of his duties due to a 'long line of transgressions and insubordination.' He was offered another position within the organization.

Did You Know?

• Wetteland was selected by the New York Mets in the 12th round of the 1984 MLB draft but opted not to sign, feeling he was not ready for a professional career.
• In 1988, while pitching for the San Antonio Missions of the Class AA Texas League, Wetteland earned 20 saves in 20 chances—a perfect, unblemished season as a minor league closer.
• Wetteland's 24 straight appearances in which he recorded a save in the 1996 season is the most in MLB history, breaking the record of 19 set by Lee Smith the season before.
• Wetteland was awarded the Rolaids Reliever of the Decade after earning the most saves of any pitcher during the 1990s—a decade he helped define with pure, ninth-inning fire.