Don Wakamatsu
Seattle Mariners — No. 22
Catcher / Manager
Born: February 22, 1963 (1963-02-22) (age 46) Hood River, Oregon
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 22, 1991 for the Chicago White Sox
Last MLB appearance
October 5, 1991 for the Chicago White Sox
Career statistics
Batting average	.226
Hits	7
Runs	2
Teams
As Player Chicago White Sox (1991) As Manager Seattle Mariners (2009-present)

Wilbur Donald "Don" Wakamatsu (born February 22, 1963 in Hood River, Oregon) is a former catcher and coach in Major League Baseball.

On November 19, 2008, Wakamatsu was named the manager of the Seattle Mariners,^[1] becoming the 16th manager in club history.

[edit] Amateur career

Wakamatsu was a three-sport star at the Bay Area's Hayward High School in high school, and ultimately chose baseball over football due to his lack of size.^[2]

He was also an All Pacific-10 catcher during his last three years at Arizona State University where he was a teammate of Barry Bonds and Alvin Davis. He was the last pick of the 1984 Major League Baseball Draft, but decided to return to ASU.

[edit] Playing career

Wakamatsu was drafted in the 11th round of the 1985 Major League Baseball Draft by the Cincinnati Reds.

Wakamatsu played 18 games in the majors as a backup catcher for the Chicago White Sox in 1991,^[3] working in all of his starts for knuckleballer Charlie Hough. He also caught in the minor leagues from 1985 through 1996 playing for the organizations of the Cincinnati Reds, the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Texas Rangers, the Cleveland Indians, the Seattle Mariners and the Milwaukee Brewers.

[edit] Coaching career

[edit] Minor Leagues

Following his playing retirement, Wakamatsu managed in the minors for Arizona League Diamondbacks in 1997, the Class-A High Desert Mavericks in 1998, the Double-A El Paso Diablos in 1999 and the Erie SeaWolves in 2000, posting a 215–248 record. In 1998 was named Manager of the Year in the California League,^[3] after leading the High Desert Mavericks to the playoffs.

[edit] Anaheim Angeles

In 2001 and 2002, Wakamatsu was a roving catching instructor in the Anaheim Angels organization.

[edit] Texas Rangers

From 2003 to 2006, he was the Texas Rangers' bench coach. During the 2006 season, he served as manager for two games while Buck Showalter was in the hospital with an irregular heartbeat brought about due to dehydration, and in 2007, took the third base coach job when Ron Washington took over as manager.

[edit] Oakland Athletics

In 2008 Wakamatsu was the bench coach of the Oakland Athletics. He also has served in the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs organizations, and was a candidate for the managerial positions in Oakland and Texas in 2006.

[edit] Seattle Mariners

On November 19, 2008, he was named the manager of the Seattle Mariners, replacing interim manager Jim Riggleman, and becoming the first Asian-American manager in the majors.

On April 6, 2009, Wakamatsu won his managerial debut as the Mariners beat the Minnesota Twins 6–1 on Opening Day.

Later in the season, Wakamatsu was officially selected as a coach under Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon for the 2009 MLB All-Star Game in St. Louis along with Kansas City Royals manager Trey Hillman on June 17, 2009.^[4]

Fred Claire, former baseball executive and current writer for MLB.com, stated that Wakamatsu and his staff, composed of bench coach Ty Van Burkleo, pitching coach Rick Adair, hitting coach Alan Cockrell, first base coach Lee Tinsley, bullpen coach John Wetteland and performance coach Steve Hecht, deserved credit for a 24-game improvement. Claire wrote this about Wakamatsu:

"It is the relationships that Wakamatsu has built during his time in baseball that defines him best. He was somewhat of an unknown to the public when he was hired as the Mariners' manager last November, but he is well-known and highly respected within the game."^[5]

[edit] Personal life

Wakamatsu resides in North Richland Hills,Texas with wife, Laura, sons: Jacob and Lucas, and daughter Jadyn.

Born to a Japanese American father and an Irish American mother,^[2] he is fourth-generation Japanese American, and the first half-Asian and half-Caucasian manager in Major League Baseball history. Close friends and players call him "Wak" (pronounced walk). His father was born in the Tule Lake War Relocation Center, a Japanese American internment camp located in Northern California near the Oregon border.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• Minor league statistics at The Baseball Cube
• Interview with Don Wakamatsu MyNorthwest.com