John Wetteland

From SoSH

Johnathon Wetteland (born August 21, 1966) was drafted in 1985 by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He broke into the league with the Dodgers in 1989 as a starter but quickly became a reliever. After being traded to the Montreal Expos after the 1991 season, Wetteland became a full time closer and flourished, becoming one of the top closers of the 1990s.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Moment in the Sun 3 Awards 4 Trivia 5 Transactions 6 External Links

Overall Career

Wetteland has started 17 games in his career, all during his first two seasons with the Dodgers. In his first season after being traded to the Expos, Wetteland saved 37 games and continued from there. After the 1994 Strike, the Expos, in an attempt to dump salary, traded Wetteland to the New York Yankees. During his two year stint, Wetteland saved 74 games, won a World Series in 1996, saved 7 games in the 1996 postseason, and mentored a young reliever named Mariano Rivera.

After being granted free agency after the 1996 season, Wetteland signed with the Texas Rangers and continued his dominant ways. Wetteland retired in 2000 at the age of 34. His early retirement could have been a result of a 1999 elbow surgery that caused him to lose speed on his fastball and forced him to use a different repitoire of pitches. Wetteland finished his career with a record of 48-45, 330 saves, a 2.93 ERA, and a 1.135 WHIP.

Moment in the Sun

• In 1996, Wetteland led the American League with 46 saves, went to the All-Star Game, and notched 7 saves, 4 in the World Series, on way to winning the World Series MVP Award

Awards

• 3-time American League All-Star (1996, 1998, 1999)
• 1996 World Series MVP
• 1996 American LeagueRolaids Relief Man Award

Trivia

• Won a World Series ring with the New York Yankees in 1996.
• Was fired as Nationals pitching coachin 2006 for "transgressions and insubordination that was affecting his relief corps"
• Is a born-again Christian
• Inducted into Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in 2006
• Named Rolaids Relief Man of the 90s

Transactions

• June 4, 1984: Drafted by the New York Mets in the 12th round of the 1984 amateur draft, but did not sign.
• January 3, 1985: Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2nd round of the 1985 amateur draft (Secondary Phase). Player signed May 25, 1985.
• December 7, 1987: Drafted by the Detroit Tigers from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1987 rule 5 draft.
• March 29, 1988: Returned (earlier draft pick) by the Detroit Tigers to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• November 27, 1991: Traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers with Tim Belcher to the Cincinnati Reds for Eric Davis and Kip Gross.
• December 11, 1991: Traded by the Cincinnati Reds with Bill Risley to the Montreal Expos for Dave Martinez, Scott Ruskin, and Willie Greene.
• April 5, 1995: Traded by the Montreal Expos to the New York Yankees for Fernando Seguignol and cash.
• November 5, 1996: Granted Free Agency.
• December 17, 1996: Signed as a Free Agent with the Texas Rangers.
• November 1, 2000: Granted Free Agency.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• Bullpen Coach Wetteland Given the Boot