The Marlins signed catcher Sandy Leon to a secondary league agreement. The contract contains an invitation for Leon to participate in the spring training camp for the major league in Miami. In addition to Leon, the Marlins have also officially announced six other players (field player Eddy Alvarez, Catcher Brian Navarretoand right-handed Zach Thompson, Alexander Guillen, Anthony Bender, and Luis madero) received spring invitations for minor league contracts
A nine-season veteran of the big league, Leon is best known for his five seasons with the 2015-19 Red Sox, a season that saw him win a World Series ring in 2018 and unexpectedly become an offensive threat (0.845 OPS in 283 on-board appearances) in 2016. This 2016 campaign stands out as a big outlier among Leon’s overall career numbers, however, as he has a 0.216 / 0.284 / 0.327 cut-off line over 1379 career PA.
Leão did not even reach that modest level of production in 2020, when it reached 0.136 / 0.296 / 0.242 in 81 PA with the Indians. It is quite clear that Miami is not hiring Leon for his baton, but his well-documented defensive skill – Leon is well respected as a game creator and he was an above average pitcher in 2018-2019. Leon also has some impressive numbers of flagrant thefts throughout his career, although those totals have dropped in the past two years.
Leon and Navarreto’s signings add some depth to a Marlins capture mix that consists of Jorge Alfaro and Chad Wallach. Alfaro is coming out of a difficult season on the board, but as a former big contender, he will be much more likely to establish himself as a regular backstop. Wallach is another catcher first in defense, so with Leon now in the mix, Wallach will need a solid showing at Spring Training to keep his job on the roster active.
Navarreto is back in Miami after making his MLB debut for the team last season, playing in two games. Originally a sixth round pick for the Twins in the 2013 draft, Navarreto hit 0.214 / .264 / .307 in 1753 career PA in the youngest (in the Twins and Yankees farm systems) without ever reaching the Triple-A ball. He signed a minor league contract with the Marlins last winter, but, of course, never appeared in the minor ones due to the cancellation of the minor league season.
Alvarez is the only other member of the group to appear in the major leagues, with .189 / .268 / .216 hits for Marlins last season, in the first 41 major league plate matches of his career. Alvarez’s MLB debut made headlines when the former silver medal-winning speed skater became the first former Olympic athlete (in a sport other than baseball, of course) to appear in the majors since the legendary Jim Thorpe . Starting his career as a non-hired free agent, Alvarez hit .278 / .375 / .413 with 40 homers in 2,430 minor league PAs, working mainly as a shortstop, but also playing a significant amount of second and third bases.