Professional career

Daulton was drafted by the Phillies in the 25th round of the 1980 MLB draft. He was an all-star with the AA Reading Phillies in 1983.

On September 25, 1983, Daulton made his major league debut for the Phillies. From 1983 to 1988 Daulton played sparingly, due chiefly to the presence of all-star catchers Ozzie Virgil and Lance Parrish. Daulton became the Phillies' full-time catcher in 1989.

Daulton caught Terry Mulholland's no-hitter on August 15, 1990.

1992-1993 seasons

Daulton's finest season came in 1992. That season, Daulton led the National League in runs batted in with 109. Daulton also finished in the top 10 in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, home runs, walks, runs created, and extra base hits. Daulton's impressive season earned him his first all-star appearance, the National League Silver Slugger Award, and sixth place in National League MVP voting.

Daulton was one of the catalysts of the NL pennant winning 1993 Phillies. Although the Phillies lost the World Series, Daulton was again named an all-star, drove in more than 100 runs for the second consecutive season, and finished seventh in National League MVP voting. Daulton once again finished in the top 10 in on-base percentage, runs batted in, walks, and extra base hits. Daulton also finished in the top 10 in times on base and intentional walks.

Injury problems

Knee injuries caught up with Daulton. In 1994, Daulton was on pace for his best season yet when he went down for the season. Through 67 games, Daulton was hitting .300 with 15 home runs and 56 RBI. Both his batting average and slugging percentage (.549) were career highs at the time of his injury.

By 1995, injuries had clearly taken a toll on Daulton's playing ability, and although he was named to his third all-star team, he played in only 98 games, and finished the year with just nine home runs.

Daulton missed nearly the entire 1996 season due to injury, playing in five games.

Trade to the Florida Marlins

In 1997, after 17 years with the organization, the Phillies traded Daulton to the Florida Marlins. By this time, Daulton's knee injuries had forced him to change positions. After playing half of the season in Philadelphia as a left fielder, the Marlins used Daulton as a first baseman and pinch hitter. Daulton put up respectable numbers in his final season, hitting .263 with 14 home runs, 63 RBI and 68 runs scored in just 395 at bats. After the Marlins won the 1997 World Series, Daulton announced his retirement.

Career statistics

In 14 seasons, Daulton hit .245 with 137 home runs, 588 RBI and 511 runs scored in 1161 games.

Daulton was ranked as the 25th greatest catcher of all-time by Bill James in the 2001 edition of his Historical Baseball Abstract.

On August 6, 2010 Daulton was inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame.

Post career

97.5 The Fanatic

Since 2010, during the Philadelphia Phillies season, Daulton has hosted a radio show "Talking Baseball with Dutch" from 6 pm to 7 pm on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia. He often makes appearances at the Greenhouse in Margate, New Jersey and at Miracle Field in the Somerton section of Philadelphia.

Brain surgery

On July 1, 2013, Daulton underwent surgery for resection of two brain tumors related to glioblastoma at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. On February 23, 2015, Daulton announced that he was cancer-free.

Legal problems

Vehicle-related charges

Daulton has been arrested several times on vehicle-related charges. He was arrested for DUI in Pinellas County, Florida, in 1988, and his driver's license was suspended for a year after he refused to take a breathalyzer test. His license was also suspended in the late 1990s due to unpaid speeding tickets; he received at least five during that time period, including one for traveling over 100 miles-per-hour in a 65 zone. While under his license suspension, he was involved in a single-vehicle accident on January 3, 2001, causing $20,000 worth of damage to his BMW sedan. He again refused to be tested, and was charged with DUI, driving with a suspended license, and failing to appear in court.

Exactly two years later, he was arrested again for driving with a suspended license and DUI, after again refusing to be tested for alcohol.

At approximately 1AM on May 7, 1991, Daulton was riding in the red Mercedes-Benz SL500 driven by teammate Lenny Dykstra. Traveling at high speed, they crashed into a tree in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania after attending a bachelor party for teammate John Kruk. Dykstra suffered broken ribs, collarbone, and a broken facial bone while Daulton injured his eye and had a broken facial bone. According to Radnor Township police, Dykstra's blood alcohol content was 0.179 at the time of the crash.

Writings

Daulton has authored a book on occultism and numerology, titled If They Only Knew, published in 2007. In the book he discusses numerous aspects of occultism, referencing experts in the field, and his personal experiences.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]