Sandy Leon, Catcher, Texas Rangers

Date of Birth: 3/13/1989
Birthplace: Maracaibo, Venezuela

Sandy Leon, catcher for the Texas Rangers, was first signed by the Washington Nationals in January, 2007. He played in the Nationals' minor league system from 2007 through most of 2014. He batted .236 with 425 hits, 202 RBIs, and 357 strikeouts to 232 walks in 550 games. As a catcher, he made 467 assists and 3,709 putouts in 515 games. He caught players stealing an impressive 46% of the time and he had a .987 fielding percentage.

In 2012, Leon played in 12 games with the Nationals. The following season, he played in just two games with them and in 2014, he batted .156 in 20 games with the Nationals.

Leon was traded to the Boston Red Sox on March 30, 2015. He played in 41 games with the Red Sox and 26 games in the minors in 2015.

Leon batted .310 in 78 games with the Red Sox in 2016. He finished the season with 78 hits, 17 doubles, and 35 RBIs. Defensively, as a catcher in 74 games, he made 35 assists, 561 putouts, and 1 error. He had a .998 fielding percentage and he caught players trying to steal 41.2% of the time. In the postseason, he had a home run in 10 at-bats in 3 games.

Leon finished the 2017 season with 61 hits and a .225 batting average in 85 games. Defensively, as a catcher in 84 games, he made 42 assists, 767 putouts, and 6 errors. He caught players trying to steal 36.7% of the time. In the postseason, he had 4 hits and 2 RBIs in 8 at-bats in 2 games.

Leon played in 89 games in 2018. He had 47 hits and a .177 batting average. Defensively, as a catcher in 87 games, he made 37 assists, 776 putouts, and 1 error. He caught players trying to steal 25.7% of the time. In the postseason, he had 3 hits, including a double, and a .231 batting average in 13 at-bats in 10 games.

Leon finished the 2019 season with 33 hits and a .192 batting average in 65 games. Defensively, as a catcher in 65 games, he made 30 assists, 535 putouts, and 3 errors, and he caught players trying to steal 21.2% of the time.

The Red Sox traded Leon to the Cleveland Indians on December 2, 2019. He played in 25 games in 2020, and he finished the season with a .136 batting average.

Leon became a free agent on October 28,2020. He signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins on January 3, 2021. He finished the 2021 season with 37 hits, 65 strikeouts to 12 walks, and a .183 batting average in 83 games.

Leon became a free agent again on November 3, 2021. He signed again with Cleveland on November 22nd. He was released on March 31, 2022. He signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds on April 16th, and he was traded back to Cleveland on June 28th. He was again traded on August 2nd, this time to the Minnesota Twins.

Leon became a free agent on November 6, 2022. He signed a minor league contract with the Rangers on February 6, 2023.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Sandy Leon
ESPN - Sandy Leon
Baseball Reference - Sandy Leon