Former Baltimore Orioles Pitcher Finds New Home Overseas for Next Season

One of the Baltimore Orioles former pitchers lands a new deal with the TSG Hawks.

Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

A former pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles has found a new home overseas. 

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, pitcher Spenser Watkins has signed a one-year deal with the TSG Hawks in Taiwan. Watkins, who is a client of agent Matt Gaeta, will be moving on from Major League Baseball for the first time in his professional career after spending 11 years inside five different organizations.

The Detroit Tigers drafted Watkins in the 30th round of the 2014 MLB draft. He spent his college baseball playing for Western Oregon University. He was signed as a minor league free agent by the Orioles before the 2021 season. 

He made his MLB debut in 2021 with Baltimore and played with the club for two seasons. Over that time, he recorded a 7-13 record with a 5.85 ERA, throwing 160.0 innings with a 70 ERA+.

Watkins spent the first half of last year with Orioles' Triple-A affiliate before the club designated him for assignment in June 2023, and eventually traded him to the Houston Astros for cash considerations. 

Watkins did not see any action in the Majors in 2024. He spent the entire season with Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, an affiliate of the Washington Nationals. He struggled there, going 7-7 with a 4.56 ERA across 25 appearances. 

At only 32 years old, a one-year deal could provide a launching point for the right-hander to return to the MLB before he decides to hang it up for good.