[ad_1]
The Marlins signed a catcher Sandy Leon to a minor league agreement. The contract contains an invitation for Leon to attend the Miami Big League spring training camp. In addition to Leon, the Marlins have also officially announced six other players (outfield Eddy alvarez, receiver Brian Navarretoand right-handed Zach thompson, Alexandre guillen, Anthony bender, and Luis Madero) received spring invitations on minor league contracts.
A nine-season big-league veteran, Leon is best known for his five seasons with the Red Sox from 2015-19, a stint that saw him win a World Series ring in 2018 and unexpectedly become an offensive threat. 845 OPS in 283 plate appearances) in 2016. This 2016 campaign stands out as a big outlier among Leon’s overall career numbers, however, as he has a cutline of .216 / .284 / .327 out of 1,379 PA in career.
Leon didn’t even hit that modest production level in 2020, as he hit .136 / .296 / .242 in 81AP with the Indians. It’s pretty clear that Miami isn’t signing Leon for his bat, but rather his well-documented defensive skills – Leon is highly respected as a playmaker and he was an above-average pitch coach in 2018 and 2019. Leon too has impressive numbers of thefts caught during his career, although those totals have plummeted in the past two years.
Leon and Navarreto signings add depth to a Marlins catching mix that Jorge Alfaro and Chad wallach. Alfaro has just had a tough season at home, but as a former top prospect he will be much more likely to establish himself firmly as a regular safety net. Wallach is another defense receiver first, so with Leon now in the mix, Wallach will need a solid performance in spring training to keep his job on the active roster.
Navarreto is back in Miami after making his MLB debut with the team last season, appearing in two games. Originally a sixth-round pick for the Twins in the 2013 Draft, Navarreto hit .214 / .264 / .307 on 1,753 career PA in minors (in the Twins and Yankees farming systems) without ever reaching the Triple-A bullet. He signed a minor league contract with the Marlins last winter but naturally never appeared in the minors due to the cancellation of the minor league season.
Alvarez is the only other member of the squad to appear in the majors, as he hit .189 / .268 / .216 for the Marlins last season in the first 41 Major League plate appearances of his career. Alvarez’s MLB debut made headlines, as the former Olympic silver medalist speed skater became the first former Olympian (in a sport other than baseball, of course) to appear in the majors since. the legendary Jim Thorpe. Kicking off his career as an undrafted free agent, Alvarez hit .278 / .375 / .413 with 40 home runs over 2,430 minor league PA, working primarily as a shortstop but also playing a significant amount of second and third base. .
[ad_2]
Source link