Sandy Leon

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Washington Nationals #15 prospect in 2013
  When he was still assistant GM, Mike Rizzo and former scouting director Dana Brown signed Leon on a trip to Venezuela in 2007. He gradually worked his way through the system as a defense-first catcher, and his bat developed enough to help him earn a big league callup when injuries struck the Nationals last May. He sprained his right ankle in a home-plate collision with Chase Headley during his big league debut, but he returned to the majors for stints in July, August and September. Leon has made himself competitive at the plate by tweaking his set-up, getting his hands into better hitting position and improving his balance. He has learned to use all fields and put the ball in play from both sides of the plate. He won't ever hit for power, but he should be a serviceable hitter with outstanding catch-and-throw skills. Leon is a plus receiver with good footwork and agility, making him adept at blocking balls in the dirt. His above-average arm is efficient and accurate, routinely producing pop times in the 1.9-second range and helping him shut down the running game. He threw out 38 percent of basestealers between the majors and minors in 2012. He's still refining his game-calling, but pitchers love throwing to him. He's a well below-average runner, but that's true of most backstops. Leon profiles as a strong backup catcher with a chance to be a defense-first regular, and he's big league-ready.
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  Ranked Washington Nationals #24 prospect in 2012
  Then-assistant GM Mike Rizzo and former scouting director Dana Brown signed Leon and second baseman Adrian Sanchez on the same trip to Venezuela in 2007. Since then, Leon has established a reputation as one of the finest defensive catchers in the system, but scouts always have wondered if he'd hit enough to be a big leaguer. Leon has gradually improved his offensive game to the point that he now holds his own from both sides of the plate. He'll never be better than a below-average hitter with below-average power, but he has learned to put together competitive at-bats and has a knack for providing the occasional clutch hit. Leon's defense alone is good enough to get him to the big leagues, probably as a backup but perhaps as a glove-first regular. Nationals assistant GM Bob Boone--who won seven Gold Gloves behind the plate--calls Leon a "magnificent catcher" with great footwork, outstanding receiving and blocking skills and a solid-average to plus arm with very good accuracy. He led the Carolina League by throwing out 53 percent of basestealers in 2011. He's an extremely slow runner who clogs up the bases. He will move to Double-A in 2012, and with a host of quality catchers ahead of him in the upper levels of the system, Washington can afford to wait for his bat to develop.