Miami Marlins 2021 Season Review: C Sandy Leon

Signed by the Miami Marlins as a free agent last January, veteran catcher Sandy Leon was a constant at the catching position throughout the 2021 season. Serving primarily as Miami’s backup catcher, Leon became a free agent at season’s end, and is no longer with the Marlins.

Miami Marlins 2021 Season Review: C Sandy Leon

Leon would make his first appearance of the season with the Marlins on April 21, and would enjoy success early on going 7-for-23 at the plate across his first eight games. That success would however not continue during the month of May where the veteran backstop would post a combined .362 OPS across 21 games, the most games in a single-month that Leon appeared in during 2021.

Leon would go-on to post a .461 OPS during the month of June, but would enjoy some success offensively in July where he posted a .604 OPS with two home runs across 16 games. Remaining with Miami after the MLB Trade Deadline, the veteran catcher would go-on to appear in a total of 26 games combined across the remainder of the season, slashing .205/.271/.295 during that span.

For the 2021 season overall, Leon would appear in a total of 83 games with the Marlins, the third most of his 10-year MLB career. Slashing a combined .183/.237/.267 during that span, Leon would hit four home runs with 14 RBI’s, but did strikeout 65 times compared to 12 walks which translated to a 29.6 K% and a 5.5 BB%.

Posting a career-low -0.8 WAR, Leon posted a strong season defensively, as well as a 27% caught stealing percentage behind the plate. With a majority of his time coming at catcher, the 32-year-old also saw six relief appearances on the mound for the Marlins where he collected two strikeouts across six innings.

As mentioned at the start, Leon hit free agency at season’s end, and has since signed with the Cleveland Guardians.