The Boston Red Sox had two young, promising catchers at the beginning of the year. So why are they leaving their catching responsibilities to Sandy Leon, a minor league journeyman?
Marvel couldn’t have written up a better script. He’s stronger than Captain America, has better hand-eye coordination than Hawkeye, and is hotter than the Human Torch. His name is Sandy Leon, and he is helping fuel a Boston Red Sox offense that ranks first in the MLB.
Leon has been on the tear of his career over the past month. Hitting .458 with a .500 OBP and 13 RBIs in 59 at-bats, no one expected Sandy Leon to be pulling out wins for the Red Sox this past month. Yesterday, in a game against the New York Yankees Leon drove in four of the five Red Sox runs, including his second home run of the year which was measured at 412 feet.
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A distant thought at the beginning of the season, Leon sat in the minors, serving as the fourth catcher in the Red Sox system. He was the backup in Pawtucket to Christian Vazquez, a young guy who the Red Sox assumed would be a major asset in Boston sometime this year. So how did the back-up AAA catcher become the Red Sox starter, and folk-hero amongst fans?
Blake Swihart, the Opening Day starter was shifted to left field, and then injured himself. Ryan Hanigan, the Opening Day backup suffered a strained neck, and Vazquez proved to be an ineffective hitter and was demoted after he was given a chance to start everyday. Then came Sandy Leon.
Leon starting, raised major red flags for the Red Sox lineup. He signed as an amateur free agent with the Washington Nationals in 2007, and played in the minors and independent leagues for five years before finally making his MLB debut in 2012. Between 2012 and 2014 he played in just 34 games, hitting .189 with 5 RBIs and 32 strikeouts in 95 at-bats.
Then Washington shipped him to Boston for cash on March 30,2015. Less than four months later he was placed on waivers, which he cleared, and was sent down to AAA. In his time last year with Boston he put together a horrendous slash line of .184/.238/.202. He was placed on waivers once again in November, but cleared them and signed a minor league deal with Boston.
This year while in Pawtucket his batting improved a little, hitting .243 with 13 RBIs. As the Red Sox sent more catchers to the DL, Leon was called up on June 5. He played well in the beginning, but his defining moment came against the Rangers on June 24.
The Red Sox entered the top of the ninth down 7-4. With Jackie Bradley Jr. on base and two outs, Leon survived an 11 pitch at-bat to drive in Bradley Jr. and bring the Sox within two. That set up the next batter, Mookie Betts, who hit a game-tying two-run blast. The Red Sox would eventually go onto win the game 8-7.
The Red Sox could offer Sandy Leon a $500 million contract and it would be a low ball.
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) July 4, 2016
That night, the Legend of Sandy Leon was born in Red Sox Nation. Between his excellent hitting and big-time promotion from Jared Carrabis, the voice of Red Sox fans, the Nation has welcomed Leon with arms wide open.
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It’s unsure whether or not the Red Sox will seek more catching help at this year’s trade deadline, or if they will opt to entrust the starting rotation and starting catching duties to Leon, who is just 27. Whether he is the starter or not come August, the forgotten about backstop is now the hottest name in Boston.