Vincent Logan Watkins (born August 29, 1989) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

and former

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

who is currently the

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

for the

Winnipeg Goldeyes The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a professional minor-league baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Professional Baseball, which they joined in 2011. Previously, the Goldeyes were members of ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

Early life

Watkins attended Goddard High School in

Goddard, Kansas Goddard is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States, and a western suburb of Wichita. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,084. History In 1883, Ezekiel Wilder purchased farmland on the planned railway of the A ...

, where he played football as a

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

and baseball.

Professional career

Chicago Cubs

Watkins was drafted by the

in the 21st round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft, and signed with the team on June 27, , receiving a reported signing bonus of $600,000. He made his professional debut with the rookie-level

AZL Cubs The Arizona Complex League Cubs are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays it home games at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The team is composed mainly of player ...

, and hit .325/.462/.363 in 27 games. In 2009, Watkins played in 72 games for the Low-A

Boise Hawks The Boise Hawks are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. Home games are played at Memorial Stadium in unincorporated Ada County, Idaho, near ...

, and recorded a .326/.389/.391 slash with 29 RBI. The following year, Watkins played for the Single-A

Peoria Chiefs The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Pe ...

, batting .261/.351/.339 with 1 home run and 30 RBI. In 2011, Watkins played for the High-A

Daytona Cubs Daytona may refer to: Locations * Daytona Beach, Florida * Daytona Beach Shores, Florida * South Daytona, Florida * The Daytona Beach metropolitan area * Halifax area, also known as Daytona, the region around Daytona Beach Motor racing * Day ...

, setting career-highs in home runs (5) and RBI (45). For the 2012 season, Watkins played for the Double-A

Tennessee Smokies The Knoxville Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The team was based in Kodak, Tennessee, a Knoxville suburb, fr ...

, slashing .281/.383/.422 with new career-highs in home runs (9) and RBI (52). Watkins was named the Cubs' minor league player of the year in 2012 and the Cubs added him to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

after the season. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

to begin the 2013 season. On August 4, 2013, the Cubs promoted Watkins to the major leagues and made his debut as the starting second baseman against 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, going 1-for-4. He finished his rookie season 8-for-38 (.211) with no home runs or RBI. Watkins hit .246 with a home run and 6 RBI in 65 at-bats with the Cubs in 2014. Watkins was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Cubs on December 19, 2014, and was outrighted three days later. On February 4, 2015, Watkins suffered a

torn Achilles tendon Achilles tendon rupture is when the Achilles tendon, at the back of the ankle, breaks. Symptoms include the sudden onset of sharp pain in the heel. A snapping sound may be heard as the tendon breaks and walking becomes difficult. Rupture of the ...

while working out, and missed the entire season as a result. In 2016, Watkins played for Triple–A Iowa, hitting .261/.314/.353 with one home run and 42 RBI in 108 games. He elected free agency following the season on November 7, 2016.

Detroit Tigers

On December 23, 2016, Watkins signed 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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

organization. He split the 2017 season between the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

and the Double-A

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving as the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Ti ...

, posting a .242/.343/.300 slash line with 2 home runs and 21 RBI in 86 games between the two teams. He elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2017.

Wichita Wingnuts

On March 26, 2018, Watkins signed with the

Wichita Wingnuts The Wichita Wingnuts were an independent baseball team based in Wichita, Kansas, in the United States. The Wingnuts were members of the South Division of the American Association of Professional Baseball. An expansion franchise in the 2008 sea ...

of the American Association. Watkins set the Wingnuts franchise single season record for hits with 142. In 100 games for the Wingnuts, Watkins hit .338/.403/.469 with 3 home runs and 51 RBI.

Toros de Tijuana

On December 13, 2018, Watkins signed with the

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (English: Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican baseball team based in Tijuana, Mexico, that competes in the Mexican Baseball League. The team plays its home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The franchise w ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

for the 2019 season. In 69 games with Tijuana in 2019, Watkins slashed .254/.364/.393 with 3 home runs and 16 RBI.

Olmecas de Tabasco

On January 7, 2020, Watkins was traded to the

Olmecas de Tabasco The Olmecas de Tabasco (English: Tabasco Olmecs) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Their home ballpark is the Estadio Centenario 27 de Febrero. The Olmecas won their only Mexican Lea ...

of the

in exchange for Humberto Castro. However, he did not appear in a game for the club as the 2020 season was canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Coaching career

Cleburne Railroaders

On April 5, 2021, Watkins was announced as the new hitting coach for the

Cleburne Railroaders The Cleburne Railroaders are a professional baseball team based in Cleburne, Texas, that plays in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. The team, which began play in 2017, plays i ...

of the

. On June 30, Watkins was named the interim manager for the club after

Mike Jeffcoat James Michael Jeffcoat (born August 3, 1959) is an American retired professional baseball manager, former head coach in college baseball, and former professional player. He pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1983 and 1994 for four dif ...

announced his retirement.

Winnipeg Goldeyes

On November 1, 2023, Watkins was named the manager of the

of the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Logan 1989 births Living people Baseball players from Wichita, Kansas Major League Baseball second basemen American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Chicago Cubs players Arizona League Cubs players Boise Hawks players Peoria Chiefs players Daytona Cubs players Tennessee Smokies players Iowa Cubs players Wichita Wingnuts players Toros de Tijuana players 21st-century American sportsmen