Patrick Leonard (baseball)

Patrick Leonard
Tampa Bay Rays
First baseman / Third baseman
Born: (1992-10-20) October 20, 1992
Jacksonville, Florida
Bats: Right Throws: Right

Patrick Thomas Leonard (born October 20, 1992) is an American professional baseball first baseman. He plays in Minor League Baseball for the Tampa Bay Rays' organization.

Amateur career

Leonard attended Bartram Trail High School in St. Johns, Florida, for his freshman year. He transferred to Creekside High School, also in St. John's, for his sophomore year.[1] For his junior year, Leonard was home schooled in order to fit more time in for baseball. He still played for Creekside's baseball team, recording a .452 batting average and a 6–1 win-loss record with a 0.64 earned run average as a pitcher, and was named The St. Augustine Record's St. Johns County Player of the Year. He committed to enroll at the University of Georgia to play college baseball for the Georgia Bulldogs.[2]

Before his senior year, his family moved to Houston, Texas, where Leonard continued his education at St. Thomas High School. As a senior, he opted not to pitch in order to focus on his hitting. He had a .434 batting average, 12 home runs, and 56 runs batted in (RBIs). St. Thomas won the Texas State Class 5A championship.[3]

Professional career

The Kansas City Royals selected Leonard in the fifth round, with the 156th overall selection, of the 2011 MLB Draft.[3] He signed with the Royals, receiving a $600,000 signing bonus, forgoing his commitment to Georgia.[1] Leonard played for the Burlington Royals of the Rookie-level Appalachian League in 2012, and was named to the league's postseason All-Star team.[4]

On December 9, 2012, the Royals traded Leonard to the Rays with Jake Odorizzi, Wil Myers, and Mike Montgomery for James Shields and Wade Davis.[5] He played for the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the Class A Midwest League in 2013. In 2014, he played for the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League, and was named to the league's all-star game.[6]

Leonard played for the Montgomery Biscuits of the Class AA Southern League in 2015. He began the 2016 season with the Durham Bulls of the Class AAA International League, but was demoted midseason to Montgomery. He returned to Durham at the start of the 2017 season.[7] He was named the International League Player of the Month for April 2017.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Royal treatment for county baseball product Patrick Leonard". StAugustine.com. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  2. ↑ "All-County baseball: Patrick Leonard is driven to be the best". StAugustine.com. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "St. Thomas grad Patrick Leonard selected in fifth round by Royals". Your Houston News. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Leonard, Starling and Threlkeld named to Appalachian League All-Star team". Kansas City Royals. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Rays deal Shields to Royals for Myers, prospects". Tampa Bay Rays. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Minor league notes: Reduced weight comes with higher success for Bulls starter". Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  7. ↑ Wisemanswiseman, Steve (April 11, 2017). "Durham Bulls’ Patrick Leonard thriving in second sting with the club & Observer". Newsobserver.com. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Leonard Named IL Player of the Month". MiLB.com. May 1, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
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