John Wetteland, baseball player, 1989-2000

John Wetteland

Born: 8/21/1966 in San Mateo, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1989-05-31 | Final Game: 2000-09-20

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: John Karl Wetteland

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Biography

John Wetteland, born in 1966, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball whose career spanned from 1989 to 2000. He was known for his powerful right arm and clutch performances, particularly in high-pressure situations. Wetteland played a key role as a closer, finishing his career with a record of 48-45 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.93. His ability to strike out batters was highlighted by his total of 804 strikeouts, while his mastery of the save situation culminated in 330 saves. Wetteland's effectiveness on the mound made him a vital asset for the teams he played for. Throughout his career, Wetteland earned several accolades, including being named an All-Star three times and receiving the coveted World Series MVP award. His contributions were particularly significant during the postseason, where he showcased his skills and resilience. Wetteland's career unfolded during a transformative era in baseball, marked by the increasing emphasis on specialized relief pitching. His legacy is remembered not only for his statistics but also for his pivotal performances in critical moments, solidifying his status as one of the era's standout closers.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
48 45 618 17 0 0 330 765.0 616 249 73 252 804 2.93 0

Career ERA 2.93 vs. league average 4.28 across their career seasons — 31.6% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1989 LAD NL 5 8 31 12 0 0 1 102.7 81 43 34 96 3.77 3.71 (-2%) -
1990 LAD NL 2 4 22 5 0 0 0 43.0 44 23 17 36 4.81 3.86 (-25%) -
1991 LAD NL 1 0 6 0 0 0 0 9.0 5 0 3 9 0.00 3.91 (+100%) -
1992 WSN NL 4 4 67 0 0 0 37 83.3 64 27 36 99 2.92 3.75 (+22%) -
1993 WSN NL 9 3 70 0 0 0 43 85.3 58 13 28 113 1.37 4.19 (+67%) -
1994 WSN NL 4 6 52 0 0 0 25 63.7 46 20 21 68 2.83 4.51 (+37%) -
1995 NYY AL 1 5 60 0 0 0 31 61.3 40 20 14 66 2.93 4.45 (+34%) -
1996 NYY AL 2 3 62 0 0 0 43 63.7 54 20 21 69 2.83 4.61 (+39%) -
1997 TEX AL 7 2 61 0 0 0 31 65.0 43 14 21 63 1.94 4.39 (+56%) 2057.6
1998 TEX AL 3 1 63 0 0 0 42 62.0 47 14 14 72 2.03 4.43 (+54%) 2636.6
1999 TEX AL 4 4 62 0 0 0 43 66.0 67 27 19 60 3.68 4.71 (+22%) 1264.9
2000 TEX AL 6 5 62 0 0 0 34 60.0 67 28 24 53 4.20 4.77 (+12%) -98.1

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
618 42 4 7 2 0 1 8 0 0 19 0.167 0.167 0.286 0.452 0.0

Career AVG .167 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 36.9% below league average.

Career OBP .167 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 50.1% below league average.

Career SLG .286 vs. league average .409 across their career seasons — 30.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.452 vs. league average 0.743 across their career seasons — 39.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1989 LAD NL 31 21 1 3 1 0 0 3 0 0 10 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1990 LAD NL 22 7 2 1 0 0 1 3 0 0 1 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1991 LAD NL 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1992 WSN NL 67 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1993 WSN NL 70 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1994 WSN NL 52 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1995 NYY AL 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1996 NYY AL 62 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1997 TEX AL 61 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
1998 TEX AL 63 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1999 TEX AL 62 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2000 TEX AL 62 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1999 ALDS2 TEX 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1998 ALDS2 TEX 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1996 ALCS NYA 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1996 ALDS2 NYA 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1996 WS NYA 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1995 ALDS2 NYA 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 17 0 7 18.7 16 10 9 22 4.82

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1999 ALDS2 TEX 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 1 0.00
1998 ALDS2 TEX 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 0 0 1 1 0.00
1996 ALCS NYA 0 0 4 0 1 4.0 2 2 1 5 4.50
1996 ALDS2 NYA 0 0 3 0 2 4.0 2 0 4 4 0.00
1996 WS NYA 0 0 5 0 4 4.3 4 1 1 6 2.08
1995 ALDS2 NYA 0 1 3 0 0 4.3 8 7 2 5 14.54

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 618 17 27 60 12 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1989 LAN P 31 12 5 8 2 0
1990 LAN P 22 5 1 3 1 0
1991 LAN P 6 0 1 2 1 0
1992 MON P 67 0 7 6 1 0
1993 MON P 70 0 1 5 3 0
1994 MON P 52 0 3 4 1 0
1995 NYA P 60 0 2 3 1 1
1996 NYA P 62 0 0 6 0 1
1997 TEX P 61 0 1 6 0 0
1998 TEX P 63 0 2 7 1 0
1999 TEX P 62 0 2 5 1 0
2000 TEX P 62 0 2 5 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 618

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1996 Player of the Week Week of 1996-07-13
1996 Reliever of the Year Award
1996 TSN Fireman of the Year
1996 World Series MVP
1993 Pitcher of the Month September
1992 Player of the Week Week of 1992-06-20

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2000 TEX AL $6,500,000
1999 TEX AL $6,350,000
1998 TEX AL $5,800,000
1997 TEX AL $4,575,000
1996 NYA AL $4,000,000
1995 NYA AL $3,375,000
1994 MON NL $2,225,000
1993 MON NL $315,000
1992 MON NL $156,000
1990 LAN NL $142,500
1989 LAN NL $68,000
Total Career Earnings $33,506,500

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
College of San Mateo San Mateo CA 1985

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1999 Cy Young Award AL 6th 3.0 140 0
1998 Most Valuable Player AL 16th 3.0 392 0
1996 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 4.0 392 0
1993 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 1.0 392 0
1992 Most Valuable Player NL 22th 1.0 336 0