Travis Sentell "Gookie" Dawkins (born May 12, 1979) is an American former 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 ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

and current

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 ...

. 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

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

and

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

Career

Drafted by the

in the 2nd round of the

1997 Major League Baseball Draft The 1997 Major League Baseball draft, was an annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 2 and 3, 1997. A total of 1607 players were drafted over the course of 92 rounds. First round selections Supplemental first ...

, Dawkins would make his Major League Baseball debut with the Reds on September 3, . His first major league at-bat was on September 4, 1999, at Philadelphia (a game in which the Reds hit nine home runs). Dawkins singled and reached third base on a throwing error. A young Philadelphia Phillies fan seated down the first base line reached over the fence and grabbed the rolling ball during play. The Reds staff later obtained the first major league hit ball for Dawkins by trading with the fan. Dawkins won an Olympic gold medal in 2000 while playing for the United States baseball team. Dawkins spent the season playing for the

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

, the Triple-A affiliate of the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

, and the

Ottawa Lynx The Ottawa Lynx were a Minor League Baseball team that competed in the Triple-A International League (IL) from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over 15 seasons, the team was an affiliate of the Montreal Exp ...

, the Triple-A affiliate of the

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

. Dawkins was re-signed by the Phillies on December 7, 2007, to a minor league contract. Dawkins signed with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

for the season, and was assigned to their Triple-A team, the

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

. Dawkins was traded to the

on June 11, 2008. He re-signed with the White Sox after the season. He then signed the Reds in the summer of 2010. In the 2010 offseason, Dawkins signed a minor league contract with the

. Dawkins began his professional coaching career in 2015, where he served as the hitting coach for the

Arizona League Reds The Arizona Complex League Reds are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. The team is composed ...

in Goodyear, Arizona. In 2016, he was named hitting coach for the

' Advanced-A Affiliate, the

Daytona Tortugas The Daytona Tortugas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Minor League Baseball#Single-A, Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and play their home games at Jackie R ...

. In 2017, he was promoted to hitting coach of the Reds' Double-A Affiliate,

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League (1964–present), Southern League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home ga ...

. In 2018, he was promoted to manager of the Reds' Rookie-level Affiliate

Greeneville Reds The Greeneville Reds were a Minor League Baseball team of the Rookie-level Appalachian League. They represented the town of Greeneville, Tennessee, though Pioneer Park, their home stadium, was located in the nearby city of Tusculum on the campus ...

. In 2020, he was promoted to manager of the Reds' Single-A Affiliate

Dayton Dragons The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark. In 2011, they broke the record for most ...

.Former Red ‘Gookie’ Dawkins to manage Dayton Dragons next season
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawkins, Travis 1979 births Living people African-American baseball coaches African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Baseball coaches from South Carolina Baseball players from Newberry County, South Carolina Billings Mustangs players Burlington Bees players Charlotte Knights players Chattanooga Lookouts players Cincinnati Reds players Indianapolis Indians players Iowa Cubs players Jacksonville Suns players Kansas City Royals players Las Vegas 51s players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players 21st-century American sportsmen Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball shortstops Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Minor league baseball coaches Minor league baseball managers New Orleans Zephyrs players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in baseball Omaha Royals players Ottawa Lynx players Sportspeople from Newberry, South Carolina Reading Phillies players Rockford Reds players Tacoma Rainiers players Toledo Mud Hens players Baseball players at the 1999 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in baseball 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen