Brandon Eric Watson (born September 30, 1981) is an American former professional baseball

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

. Although he

bats Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subject ...

, Watson throws

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

. Watson spent a portion of the and the with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadi ...

. In addition, in 2006, Watson appeared in one game as a member of the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Early life

The

godson In infant baptism and denominations of Christianity, a godparent (also known as a sponsor, or '' gossiprede'') is someone who bears witness to a child's christening and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelo ...

of Eric Davis, a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

player, Watson graduated from Westchester High School in 1999. While at Westchester, Watson was the

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

for the school's baseball team. He also made the All-State first team and the All-City team.

Professional career

In 2005, Watson played for the

New Orleans Zephyrs New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

, batting .355 and being selected as a Pacific League All-Star. In August, he was brought up for 10 days before being sent back to New Orleans, and then brought up again in September, amassing only 40 at bats. In 2006, Watson started in center field and batted lead-off for the Nationals on Opening-Day, but he was optioned to the minors after just nine games. He was batting .305 with the Zephyrs, when he suffered a shoulder separation which sidelined him for six weeks (May 27-July 12). Upon his return, he was claimed off waivers in July by the Cincinnati Reds, playing the rest of the season (except for one game with the Reds—on July 30 where he appeared as a pinch runner and stole a base) with their minor league affiliate,

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

. At the end of the season, he became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

, and was signed to a minor league contract with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. In the spring of , the Tigers released him, and the Nationals claimed him on April 9, sending him to the Nationals' new AAA affiliate, the

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy merchant sailing vessels known as clipp ...

. With the Clippers, on

Father's Day Father's Day is a holiday of honoring fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society. In Catholic countries of Europe, it has been celebrated on 19 March as Saint Joseph's Day since the Middle Ages. In the United ...

, June 17, Watson set a new International League record by hitting in 43 consecutive games, breaking a 95-year-old record (held by Jack Lelivelt, a member of the Rochester Hustlers). His streak ended the following day; one day after that, the Nationals called him up to the Major Leagues as a substitute for

Robert Fick Robert Charles Fick (born March 15, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. In 2002, he was named to the American League All-Star Team. Career The left-handed batter, who throws right-handed, attended Ventura College and later tr ...

who went on bereavement leave, and on June 20, started for the first time since April 2006. Watson played five games, batted .278, and was optioned back to Triple-A to make room for Fick's return. Watson was the only Washington outfielder with options remaining, meaning other teams could not claim him if the Nationals sent him down to Triple-A. In 2008, he played for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

' Triple-A affiliate, the

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in th ...

. Watson played for the

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009 ...

in 2009, in their inaugural year as the Triple-A affiliate of the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. ...

. After signing a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...

, Watson was released on March 31, 2010. He last played for the

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American minor league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. ...

of the independent

Canadian-American Association The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional, independent baseball league with teams in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada, founded in 2005 as a reorganization of ...

in 2011.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Brandon 1981 births Living people African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Los Angeles Brevard County Manatees players Cincinnati Reds players Clinton LumberKings players Columbus Clippers players Edmonton Trappers players Gulf Coast Expos players Gulf Coast Nationals players Harrisburg Senators players Washington Nationals players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball center fielders New Orleans Zephyrs players Newark Bears players Reno Aces players Westchester High School (Los Angeles) alumni Vermont Expos players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people