GOODYEAR, Ariz. — A prospect in spring training camp with the Cincinnati Reds was born in Watertown but grew up in Germany.

Donald Lutz, who played in Class A ball last season, was born Feb. 6, 198 at Samaritan Medical Center but only a year old when his German mother took him back to her home country. He grew up in Regensburg, which is about 90 miles south of Munich.

Lutz, who played hockey as a youngster and didn’t pick up baseball until he was 16, tried out and won a spot in the Major League Baseball European Academy in Italy. The 6-foot-3, 234-pound first baseman was signed by the Reds in 2007. He started in the rookie level Gulf Coast League in 2008. Last season for Class A Dayton, Lutz hit .301 with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs in 123 games.

Lutz, 23, was added to the 40-man roster this season.

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