Patrick Reusse: 'The Mayor' is a real good guy to have around

FORT MYERS, FLA. - This was Kirby Puckett's hangout from the time the Twins moved into the Lee County Sports Complex in 1991. At Puck's urging, several other black players joined him at the far end of the clubhouse.

"My locker has always been down here," Torii Hunter said. "Jacque [Jones] moved in here, too."

Rondell White moved into Jones' former cubicle in 2006. Another vacancy surfaced in what has become Torii's domain this spring with the exit of Shannon Stewart. White and Hunter recruited Tommy Watkins, a longtime minor league infielder.

"This guy knows everybody in Fort Myers, from a bum to the richest person in town," Hunter said. "You want a reservation for dinner? Watkins makes a call, you're in, any time, any place."

Watkins, 26, is a lifelong resident of Fort Myers. He graduated from Riverdale High School in 1998 and signed with the Twins as a 38th-round draft choice.

It took him three seasons to escape rookie league competition. He was with Class A Fort Myers for two seasons (2002-03) and that's when he gained an organization-wide nickname: The Mayor.

It was based on his knowledge and popularity in the city. "He's just a good guy," Jason Bartlett said. "Off the field, he wanted to hang out. On the field, his effort is constant. You saw that with the play he made [Tuesday]."

Bartlett was a Watkins teammate in 2002. The play to which he referred was Tuesday's sprawling catch of a semi-popup behind first base that Watkins turned into a double play.

"That's the kind of play that causes a manager to play you again tomorrow," Stan Cliburn said. "And you see, he's in the lineup."

Watkins was at second base when he made the Twins' best fielding play of the spring. On Wednesday, manager Ron Gardenhire had him at third base for an exhibition with Pittsburgh.

Cliburn manages the Twins' team at Class AAA Rochester. He had Watkins for 2 ½ months last season, after Bartlett was brought to Minnesota to be the Twins' shortstop.

"Gil Velazquez was our shortstop after Jason went up," Cliburn said. "Then, Gil hurt a knee, and we put Tommy at shortstop. He wasn't even playing that much at [Class AA] New Britain, but Tommy played great shortstop for us, and he hit .276.

"He might have been my most valuable player those last two months."

This winter, Watkins re-signed with the Twins for the third time as a minor league free agent. He's now in his third big-league camp -- invitations viewed more as a reward for meritorious service than an audition for possible big-league duty.

Except ... Alexi Casilla is considered to be too inexperienced and Luis Rodriguez can't play shortstop. Right now, the guy with experience who can play shortstop is Watkins.

On Wednesday, Watkins led off the sixth with a long home run. He hit one a few years back in an exhibition road game against Toronto. This was his first in a big-league exhibition in his hometown.

There was woman sitting behind first base who went out of her mind when Watkins launched the home run. It turned out, she was his mother -- Ann Satchel.

"When I was playing ball as a kid, even in high school, I'd take a pitch and she would yell, 'Swing the bat' ... every time," Watkins said. "When I got to pro ball, I told her, 'Mom, you can't do that anymore.'  "

Ten minutes after the home run, Ann was holding the home run ball. A Fort Myers resident who knew she was at the game had made sure the ball was retrieved and brought to her.

"I missed yesterday's game, when Tommy made that catch, because I just had knee surgery," she said. "Today, I said, 'The heck with it; I'm going to the game.' I'm very happy."

So what if Tommy Watkins -- the ultra-long shot -- keeps hitting and making plays?

"We've been moving him around, and shortstop will be his next stop," Gardenhire said. "The boys are excited when Tommy's out there and playing well. He's popular with everyone in the organization."

Watkins said whether he has a shot or not isn't relevant.

"You play the same way -- all-out -- on every play, because there's always somebody watching," he said.

Patrick Reusse can be heard weekdays on AM-1500 KSTP at 6:45 and 7:45 a.m. and 4:40 p.m. • preusse@startribune.com