A.J. Leday

Anthony Darnell Leday former listed as Anthony Johnson, A.J. Johnson

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 210 lb.

• School Miami University, Brookdale Community College

• Born February 17, 1973 in Neptune, NJ USA

BR Register page

Biographical Information

A.J. Leday played in the minor leagues and the Taiwan Major League.

Leday was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 23rd round of the 1993 Amateur Draft, apparently as a draft-and-follow. He hit .297/.361/.393 in 61 games for the independent Lethbridge Mounties in 1995, then he played 9 games with a .231/.394/.385 batting line with the Charleston AlleyCats in 1996. He then crushed 20 homers with a .327/.382/.622 batting line for the Duluth-Superior Dukes after leaving the Reds chain, making the Northern League All-Star team as an outfielder alongside Sean Hearn and Darryl Motley. He was 7th in average (between Matt Davis and Marty Neff), 5th in slugging (between Hearn and Kevin Garner), 5th in OPS (between Hearn and Garner), tied Neff for 3rd in doubles (29), tied Hearn for 5th in dingers and 4th in total bases (between MLB vets Mitch Lyden and Terry Lee).

He hit .300/.369/.451 there in 1997. Leday signed with the San Diego Padres in 1998, and he crushed 33 doubles and 24 homers with a solid .308/.346/.521 batting line for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes; he scored 94 and drove in 94. He also had 14 outfield assists but also 11 errors. He was second in the California League in runs (11 behind Jason Regan), was second in hits (four behind Cirilo Cruz), tied Giuseppe Chiaramonte for 6th in doubles, tied Tim Flaherty for the home run lead, was 5th in RBI, tied Kevin Ham for the most outfield double plays (4) and led in total bases (281, ten ahead of Jarrod Patterson). He joined Jeff DaVanon and Juan Dilone as the All-Star outfielders. Among Padres farmhands, he was second to Mike Darr Jr. in runs, second to Dave Hajek in hits, tied Wiki González and George Arias for 3rd in doubles, tied for 7th in triples (5), was second in homers (12 shy of Arias), was third in RBI and second in total bases (two behind Arias). He then hit .243/.285/.382 for the Mobile BayBears in 1999, and he also recorded a .241/.301/.342 batting line with the Jackson Generals. He had 14 doubles, 8 homers and 34 RBI, all a big drop-off from the prior season.

Staying in Mobile in 2000, Leday blasted 12 homers with a .283/.344/.430 batting line in 117 games. He then played 28 games with a .284/.336/.461 batting line for the Broncos de Reynosa in 2001, and he recorded a .427/.468/.670 batting line with 9 homers in 45 games for the Winnipeg Goldeyes. Leday also had 4 appearances for the Arkansas Travelers affiliated with the Anaheim Angels. He signed with the Chianan Luka in the middle of the '01 season, and he played 9 games with a 6-for-35 record in Taiwan. He hit .286/.372/.457 in 27 games for the Allentown Ambassadors in 2002, and he also played 10 games in Winnipeg and 18 games with the Schaumburg Flyers. The 2002 season was his last season as a professional player.