Josh Labandeira

John Joshua Labandeira

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7", Weight 180 lb.
• School College of the Sequoias, California State University, Fresno
• High School Monache High School
• Debut September 17, 2004
• Final Game October 3, 2004
• Born February 25, 1979 in Tulare, CA USA

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Biographical Information

John Joshua Labandeira lettered in four different sports in college - wrestling, soccer, football and baseball and majored in kinesiology. As a sophomore, he attended College of the Sequoias in Visalia, CA

In the 6th round of the 2001 amateur draft, Labandeira was drafted by the Montreal Expos after posting superlative numbers in college - in 2001 he hit .367 while belting 15 home runs, earning Western Athletic Conference player of the year. He was signed by scout John Hughes and made his pro debut that summer. He played one game for the Vermont Expos and broke his leg.

He is the last player to make his major league debut with the Montreal Expos: he was called up to Montreal on September 17, 2004, after shortstop Alex Gonzalez was sold to the San Diego Padres. He played his first game on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies that same day. The Expos played their last game two weeks later, on October 3rd, against the New York Mets. That game also turned out to be his final big league game; he ended his run with no hits in 14 at-bats. He wore the number 1 during his brief tenure in the Major Leagues.

In July 2005, Labandeira was suspended 15 games for violating the policies in the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. After the 2006 season, he was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the minor league portion of the 2006 Rule V Draft but he failed to make the team the following spring. He played in the minor leagues until the 2008 season.

Labandeira currently resides in Porterville, California.