Wings’ Watkins looks to repeat history

Shortstop out to prove 2006 was no fluke

Jim Mandelaero
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Tommy Watkins had a lot in common with Rochester Red Wings fans when he was promoted to the Triple-A team last June.

Why me? The career .246 hitter asked.

Why him? Wings fans wondered.

Then, Watkins went out and showed everyone why. He turned in the season of his life, batting .276 and playing outstanding defense to help lead Rochester to within one game of the Governors’ Cup championship.

“He seized the opportunity,” Wings manager Stan Cliburn said. “A lot of people wondered about Tommy Watkins, and he made them all believers.”

Now, he’s out to prove 2006 was the real deal. Watkins was a late cut by the Minnesota Twins this spring and will be the Red Wings’ starting shortstop when the season begins Friday afternoon at Frontier Field against the Ottawa Lynx.

Before 2006, Watkins had spent eight seasons toiling in the minors, without a single day at the Triple-A level. In 2005, he hit .229 for Double-A New Britain. When he was promoted last summer, he was batting .218 and warming the bench for the Rock Cats.

But Watkins saw the promotion as a new opportunity. He became an early fan favorite by belting a pair of three-run homers at Frontier Field.

Watkins finished with four home runs and 23 RBI in 60 games for Rochester, but the box score didn’t record the many times he leaped high to snag a certain base hit or moved a runner along to keep a rally going. He started 50 games and recorded at least one hit in 40 of them.

He also hit .301 on the road (.253 at Frontier) and batted a clutch .292 with runners in scoring position and two outs.

“I guess I was at the right place at the right time,” he said. “I got the call and made the most of it.”

Watkins was brought up as insurance when red-hot Jason Bartlett was promoted to the Twins in June.

He was supposed to play behind Gil Velazquez but took over as the starting shortstop when Velazquez injured his ankle on June 25.

Took control is more like it.

“He grabbed that job and made it his own,” Cliburn said. “It was inspirational.”

Even when Velazquez returned, Watkins kept the starting job all the way through the playoffs.

Watkins grew up in Fort Myers idolizing Twins All-Star center fielder Kirby Puckett. He got a chance to see Puckett when the Twins played in Fort Myers at Hammond Stadium, their spring-training home.

This spring, Watkins walked the same field as a non-roster invitee. Although he went 3-for-28 at the plate, his infectious personality and love for the game made him a popular man in the clubhouse.

“They should rename Hammond Stadium ‘Tommy Watkins Stadium,’?” Cliburn said.

Watkins played third, short, second and outfield. His locker was situated near some of the Twins veterans.

Teammates dubbed him “The Mayor” because of his Fort Myers ties and joked that he could get dinner reservations quicker than even a Twins superstar like Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau.

“I don’t know about that,” he said modestly. “I did call a few times and get reservations.”

He has a reservation to be the starting shortstop for a Triple-A team, which would be a new experience coming out of spring training.

“It’s a new year,” he said. “Last year was a lot of fun, but you have to go out and start all over.”

Watkins says getting to play regularly last year was a key to his success with the Wings.

“I got a chance to play every day in 2004, too, and it was one of my best years,” said Watkins, who hit .267 with 8 homers and 47 RBI for New Britain that season. “Once you get into a groove, you get it going.”

Watkins’ invitation to big-league camp was as much a thank-you for his quiet service as it was a reward for last year’s play. Here he was, the 1,129th player selected in the 1998 major-league draft, rubbing elbows with some of baseball’s brightest stars and battling for his shot at glory.

“Tommy Watkins has a chance,” Twins general manager Terry Ryan said this spring.

That’s all he ever wanted.

Tommy Watkins

Age: 26.
Height/weight: 5 feet 7 inches, 180 pounds.
Position: Shortstop.
Bats/throws: Right/right.
How acquired: Selected by Minnesota Twins in the 38th round of 1998 draft.
Boyhood idol: Kirby Puckett