Tyler Trumbauer
Minor league baseball is all about getting promoted to the bigs.
A man who knows how to get players to that highest level got himself one step closer to the show.
After 5 seasons with @ReadingFightins, @dustywathan62 is in as @IronPigs manager for 2017.
— Tom Housenick (@TomHousenick) September 15, 2016
Wathan takes over for Dave Brundage, who did not have his contract renewed, according to Housenick. Brundage managed the Pigs for four seasons, his best being this past year, where Lehigh Valley earned 85 wins and qualified for the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history.
Wathan is the all-time winningest coach in Reading’s franchise history during his five year tenure at the Double-A level. He lead the Fightins to an impressive 89-52 record this season with a trip to the postseason.
This promotion bodes well for the already budding Phillies farm system. Wathan is a great baseball mind with 14 years playing experience and many more as a coach. Wathan coached many of the young up and coming players in the system, such as Nick Williams, Aaron Altherr, and J.P. Crawford. He also coached a few current Phillies, such as, Darin Ruf and Maikel Franco.
The Fightins had the best record in all of professional baseball at one point this past season. Wathan is a good, respected, and talented coach who has proven that he can get the best out of his players and mold them into budding players with major league potential. With those top-tier prospects moving up to the IronPigs for 2017 with the major league club not too far in the future, this promotion for Wathan should help the progression of their development as players and the transition to prime time.