Daniel Dean Warthen (born December 1, 1952) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

player and current coach for the Texas Rangers. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) as a left-handed

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

from to for the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

, Philadelphia Phillies, and the Houston Astros.

Early life

Warthen was born in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, and is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. He attended

Omaha North High School Omaha North High Magnet School is a public high school located at 4410 North 36th Street in the city of Omaha, Nebraska. The school is a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) magnet school in the Omaha Public Schools district. N ...

in Omaha, graduating in 1971, and was a high school All-American

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

, and

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

in football and also a star in baseball. He was the 1971 co-winner of the

B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith International (, from he, בְּנֵי בְּרִית, translit=b'né brit, lit=Children of the Covenant) is a Jewish service organization. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish peo ...

Award. In 2018 he was inducted into the Omaha Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame.

Playing career

Warthen was drafted by the

in the 2nd round of the 1971 Major League Baseball Draft. He pitched first for the

Watertown Expos The Watertown Expos were a professional minor league baseball team that existed from 1970 to 1971 in Watertown, South Dakota, playing two seasons in the Northern League at historic Watertown Stadium. The Watertown Expos were a minor league affi ...

in the 1971 Northern League, and was 9-3 with a 3.96 ERA, leading the league with 10 complete games and second in the league in wins. He made his Major League Baseball debut as a 22 year-old with the Expos on May 18, 1975, pitching a scoreless eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds. In his rookie season in 1975, Warthen was 8-6 with three saves and a 3.11 ERA in 167.2 innings over 40 games (18 starts), and was 3rd in the National League in hits per 9 IP (6.978) and 4th in strikeouts per 9 IP (6.871). Warthen pitched four seasons in the major leagues with Montreal,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, and

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

. He finished his major-league career with a 12–21 win–loss record and a 4.31 ERA.

Coaching career

Warthen began his coaching career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1981, following that with coaching in the minor league organizations of

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

and

. Warthen was the pitching coach for the Detroit Tigers (1999–2002),

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

(1996–97), and

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

(1992), also serving as the Mariners bullpen coach in 1991. He was the pitching coach for the Triple A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

from 2003–2005. Warthen served as the

bullpen coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisi ...

for the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

under manager

Grady Little William Grady Little (born March 3, 1950) is a former manager in Major League Baseball, currently working in the front office of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He managed the Boston Red Sox from 2002 to 2003 and the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006 to 2007 ...

from 2006–2007. On June 17, 2008, Warthen was named the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

pitching coach, replacing Rick Peterson. In the 2012 off-season rumors speculated that Warthen would not return due to the staff changes, but he stayed along with then hitting coach Dave Hudgens. In 2014, Warthen used the slur "Chinaman" in a conversation with an Asian-American interpreter in the clubhouse. He later issued an apology. Warthen was relieved of his coaching position by the Mets on October 3, 2017, but was offered another role with the organization, which he declined. On November 6, 2017, Warthen was hired by the Texas Rangers as the assistant pitching coach."Former Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen joins Texas Rangers"
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References

External links

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Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
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New York Mets website (Biography)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Warthen, Dan 1952 births Living people Águilas del Zulia players Alexandria Dukes players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball coaches from Nebraska Baseball players from Nebraska Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Denver Bears players Detroit Tigers coaches Detroit Tigers scouts Houston Astros players Jewish American baseball coaches Jewish American baseball players Jewish Major League Baseball players Los Angeles Dodgers coaches Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball pitching coaches Memphis Blues players Minor league baseball coaches Montreal Expos players New York Mets coaches Oklahoma City 89ers players Philadelphia Phillies players Pittsburgh Pirates coaches Portland Beavers players Québec Carnavals players San Diego Padres coaches Seattle Mariners coaches Sportspeople from Omaha, Nebraska Tiburones de La Guaira players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Watertown Expos players Omaha North High School alumni 21st-century American Jews