FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The drive soared off the bat of Sandy Leon and into the stands in right field in Friday afternoon’s 4-3 loss to the Twins, serving as a reminder of what the catcher is capable of when he isn’t completely out of sorts.
Last year, Leon was, in fact, completely out of sorts. At least his bat was. Leon's glove behind the plate was impeccable and his game-calling was superb. But his offense completely dried up.
This Spring Training, that leaves Leon in competition to save his spot on the roster. Christian Vázquez and Blake Swihart are also in the mix. Unlike last year, only two of the catchers will stay instead of all three.
And the Red Sox could be getting a call soon from the Royals for one of their catchers. Kansas City was recently hit with some tough news on starting catcher Salvador Perez, who has UCL damage in his right elbow.
As for Leon, he will try to hit himself back on Boston’s roster, because it is common knowledge that he can catch as well as anyone.
The two-run shot against Twins righty Addison Reed in the top of the fourth was a strong step in the right direction for Leon, who is 3-for-9 in Grapefruit League action.
“Yeah, I mean, I wasn’t trying to hit a homer,” said Leon. “I’ve just been working at it, staying short, getting a pitch to hit. I just put a good swing on it. I was seeing the pitches good, swinging at strikes and that’s going to help a lot.”
The trot around the bases, even though it was just Spring Training, had to feel sweet for Leon. He went deep just once after June 30, part of a season in which his numbers (.177/.232/.279) made him seem like a near automatic out.
“I’m starting over,” said Leon. “Last year it wasn’t good, especially that part. I know I’m better than that and I can do the job in that part and help the team more than I did last year, and I’m just looking forward to do that.”
What exactly happened to Leon as a hitter last year?
“Probably thinking too much,” Leon said. “Trying to be one guy that I can’t. I’ve got to be me. I was me the two years before that and that wasn’t me last year. It was me catching, but it wasn’t me hitting. I know I can do better than that.”
The Red Sox don’t expect Leon to suddenly emerge as a stud at the plate, but there’s clearly more in there than what he showed last year. In 2016, he had a career year, slashing .310/.369/.476 with seven homers and 35 RBIs in 252 at-bats. A year later, his OPS went down to .644, but Leon still had seven homers and 39 RBIs.
Boston manager Alex Cora expects more from not just Leon, but also Vazquez and Swihart. Collectively, the Red Sox had the worst production from the catching spot in the Major Leagues last season, yet they still won the World Series.
“Offensively, they’re a lot better than last year,” Cora said. “We know that. I’m not saying they’re going to hit .330 or .340. But they’re a lot better than last year. They’re going to improve.”
This spring, Leon is keeping it as simple as possible by making his bat path quicker to the ball.
“We were talking about it,” said Cora. “He’s been in some good hitters' counts the last two or three days. He was able to hit the ball in the air and it was a good sign.”
Leon will look to keep that momentum going until it is time for the Red Sox to decide which two catchers stay.
“I’ve been in that situation a lot of times, so it doesn’t bother me,” said Leon. “I’m going to play hard, do my job and see what happens.”