Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Spenser Watkins was born August 27, 1992, in Phoenix, Arizona. He is a pitcher in the MLB.

On February 2, 2021, Watkins signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles organization. Prior to signing with the Orioles, Watkins had been in line to take over as the head coach of the Paradise Valley High School freshman baseball team in Phoenix, Arizona.

He was assigned to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides to begin the season, where he worked as a starter and logged a 1–2 record and 3.58 ERA in 7 games (6 of them starts).

On June 30, 2021, Watkins was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut on July 2, pitching a scoreless inning in relief against the Los Angeles Angels. He also became the first player in franchise history to don the uniform number 80. On July 6, Watkins made his first career start against the Toronto Blue Jays, earning his first-ever win after pitching 5.0 innings of 1-run ball. In the game, Watkins also notched his first career strikeout, punching out Blue Jays outfielder Randal Grichuk.

On April 11, 2022, Watkins's contract was selected by the Orioles. 

On June 23, 2023, Watkins was traded to the Houston Astros in exchange for cash considerations.