After not appearing in the MLB this season, right-handed pitcher Spenser Watkins has signed a contract with the TSG Hawks in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL).
The 32-year-old made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Baltimore Orioles. He would pitch there until 2022, and he made one start as a member of the Oakland Athletics in 2023. At season’s end, he would sign a minor-league contract in December 2023 with the Washington Nationals.
Watkins spent the entire 2024 campaign in the Nationals organization, pitching with Triple-A Rochester. Watkins appeared in 25 games, making 23 starts, putting together a 7-7 record, posting a 4.56 ERA, striking out 92 batters, and walking 39 in 118.1 innings of work. During his MLB career, Watkins holds a career 7-14 record and a 5.97 ERA in 40 appearances and 31 starts, collecting 102 strikeouts.
Now, Watkins is set to begin his journey overseas in Taiwan in hopes of an MLB comeback in 2026. Watkins now joins pitchers Drew Gagnon, Ben Braymer, Matthew Kent, Logan Ondrusek, Kirk McCarty, and Daniel Mengden, who all pitched in the CPBL this past season. It will be intriguing to see which minor league free agents could end up playing in leagues overseas for the 2025 season.
Photo Credit: Spenser Watkins pitches. (Courtesy of Western Oregon University Athletics)
