By CHRIS BRANAM
Valley Press Staff Writer
LANCASTER - All Dusty Wathan wanted was a chance.
Now he's got it. He's making the most of it.
It's no coincidence that Wathan is off to a solid start this season as the Lancaster JetHawks' everyday catcher.
To Wathan, it's a nice feeling to show up to the park and see his name in the starting lineup. This is the first time in his four-year minor league career that he's been the full-time starter.
"I feel really comfortable right now," Wathan said. "I know I'm going to be in the lineup every day. You don't put a lot of pressure on yourself, because you know you're going to be out there the next day."
Wathan almost always is out there the next day. He's caught 17 of the JetHawks' 19 games so far. A testimonial to the faith that JetHawks' manager Rick Burleson has in Wathan was illustrated Sunday against San Bernardino.
The JetHawks played an afternoon game after a night game Saturday, which is almost always a traditional off-day for catchers. Not this time.
The Stampede is second in the California League in stolen bases with 42, and with the way Wathan has been throwing runners out this year, Burleson penciled him in Lancaster's lineup.
"He's been outstanding from day one," Burleson said. "He's really taken charge out there, now that he's feeling comfortable."
Wathan threw out one of two Stampede runners attempting to steal, which is actually below his caught-stealing percentage this year. Through Monday's game, Wathan has thrown out 58 percent (19-of-33) would-be base stealers.
"I'm catching well, I'm throwing a lot of guys out," Wathan said, "so I'm helping the team out in that way and that's really important to me."
Wathan's caught-stealing percentage is what he cares about most, so much so that he posts the number above his locker.
"I worked a lot on (defense) in instructional league," Wathan said. "I've worked hard since I signed in '94. . . and things have just slowly improved.
"I'm using my legs more on my throws to second now," he said, "instead of just all arm."
Wathan's catching mentor as a minor leaguer has been Roger Hansen, Seattle's roving minor league catching instructor. Hansen likes what he sees.
"(Wathan)'s worked his butt off to get to this point," Hansen said. "When we first got him, we broke everything down from the beginning. There were a lot of long afternoons in the hot Arizona sun. What I see from him now is confidence," he said.
"His confidence seems to be a lot better."
After growing up around Major League Baseball - his father John played with the Kansas City Royals from 1976-85 - Wathan realizes that catchers in the minor leagues need to be solid behind the plate if they want to advance.
They also need to hit a little. Wathan has steadily improved at the plate.
After altering his stance in spring training, Wathan is hitting .288, 28 points better than he did in Lancaster last year (.260) and 18 points better than his careerhigh .271 at Everett in 1995.
The right-handed hitter has five doubles (half his entire '96 total) and one home run to go along with nine RBI, and he already has an eight-game hitting streak and five multi-hit games under his belt. Wathan only had 12 games with more than one hit all of last year.
"Offensively, I need to have a little bit better year than I had last year," he said.
Improvements in his arm and his bat have enhanced Wathan's overall game. He has always had what baseball people call "good makeup."
That means that Wathan is almost always composed on the field and tends to be good in the clubhouse. At 23, he's also one of the oldest players on the team, so he knows his role as a team leader.
"Especially being an everyday catcher now," he said. "You're out on the field every day, you see what's happening. You're somewhat the quarterback of the team."
Being the son of a major leaguer, Wathan says he's seen how players like George Brett, Frank White and Hal McRae went about their daily routine.
"You have a little bit better idea of the big picture and what it's like to be in the big leagues," he said. "All those guys who I saw making all this money and fame were just normal people, just the `every day guy,' which is what it's like in the minor leagues."
Wathan spent many summers at Royals Stadium in Kansas City when his father was a player and the Royals' manager from 1987-91. But while most of the other sons of players played around inside the clubhouse, Wathan paid attention to the game.
"My mom (Nancy) always said that she was amazed at how much I would sit and watch a game," Wathan said. "After the game that night or the next day, (I would) ask my dad: "Why did they hit and run here? Why did they bunt here?'
"She said it was amazing to watch all the other kids running around, and me, watching the game," he said.
Wathan didn't shun the company of those other kids, though. He played on a summer team with Jamie Splittorff (son of pitcher Paul), Dennis Leonard Jr. and Cory Otis (son of Amos). The Splittorffs and Wathans both make their homes in the Kansas City suburb of Blue Springs, Mo.
So it wasn't like Wathan's name stood out on those teams. He wasn't drafted coming out of high school and he ended up playing for two strong Southern California junior college programs - Orange Coast and Cerritos.
Wathan was a pro scouts' dream: A switch-hitting catcher with good size (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) and baseball genes. On draft day in June 1994 Wathan sat by the phone and waited. And waited.
He never got the call.
"I don't know what to say about that," he said. "I was surprised. After my sophomore year, to have other catchers behind you in stats drafted in front of you, or even drafted, is a humbling experience."
But he turned a negative into a positive. As a non-drafted free agent, Wathan was able to sign with any team.
As it turns out, though, the road to the majors will be a tough one for Wathan if he stays in the Mariners' organization. Seattle just gave Dan Wilson a contract extension, and Jason Varitek and Karl Thompson are both ahead of Wathan at Class AAA and Class AA, respectively.
"I know it's a great opportunity for me," he said, "especially with expansion coming up. I can be traded, or somebody above me here will be traded. All I can ask for is an opportunity to play every day at a higher level."