Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon starting to heat up at the plate
After a tumultuous April, in which Boston Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon concluded with just two hits in his final 34 at-bats, Leon appears to have rediscovered his 2016 form.
It would not be hyperbole to assert that Sandy Leon’s astonishing 2016 season is no less of a fairy tale than that of “Cinderella.” Let us not forget that Leon spent almost ten years in the minor leagues before attaining his first opportunity as a starting catcher at the Major League level with the 2016 Boston Red Sox.
Entering 2016, the Red Sox had Leon tabbed as their fourth-string catcher, behind Blake Swihart, Christian Vazquez, and Ryan Hanigan. It appeared that nothing short of Divine Intervention would be necessary if Leon were to acquire his first prolonged opportunity as a Big League starting catcher.
On June 4, 2016, in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, two of the three men obstructing Leon’s path to a full-time Major League catching gig fell victim to injuries. Swihart severely sprained his left ankle and required season-ending surgery, while Hanigan, the back-up catcher, strained his neck, and missed a month of action.
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Vazquez was now the only serviceable backstop on the 25-man roster. It was at this time when the Red Sox purchased Leon’s contract from Triple-A Pawtucket, as he would now be expected to serve as the backup catcher to Vazquez; however, in his few opportunities as a starter, Leon produced some remarkable results at the plate, results that eventually could not be ignored.
By mid-June, Leon and his offensive production had replaced Vazquez as the team’s starting catcher. After all, in 57 games and 184 PA, Vazquez’s slash was a mere .227/.277/.308 with 1 HR, 12 RBI, and 39 Ks.
What renders Leon’s 2016 campaign worthy of “Fairy Tale” status is that “the book” on Leon was that he was nothing other than a light-hitting, defensive backstop. In addition, in all fairness to “the book,” Leon’s productivity at the plate, or the lack thereof, clearly provided no evidence to the contrary.
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In fact, between 2012 and 2015, in 75 games and 235 Major League Plate Appearances, Leon’s slash was .187/.258/.225, with 5 doubles and 1 HR. Nonetheless, in his 283 Plate appearances in 2016, Leon’s slash was .310/.369/.476, with 17 doubles, 2 triples, and 7 HRs. The improvement is inexpressible with mere words.
However, the fairy tale authored by Leon in 2016 appeared headed for a tumultuous ending; there seemed to be no, “happily ever after,” on the horizon.
In April 2017, Leon’s 50 at-bats resulted in 9 hits, 14 total bases, and just 1 round-tripper.
However, with the calendar turning to May, Leon has rediscovered his 2016 form, and, concomitant with said rediscovery lies reason for optimism. In Leon’s 5 contests and 15 at-bats during the merry, merry month of May, Leon has produced 7 hits, 16 total bases, and 3 big flies. I will do the math and state that Leon, on May 8, has already surpassed his April totals in total bases, HRs, and is two hits shy of equaling his hit total for the entire month of April.
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Red Sox Nation can only hope that Leon’s dramatic uptick in performance this month is a harbinger of things to come, and that Sandy Leon’s “Clock,” unlike that of the aforementioned “Cinderella,” will never strike midnight.