Leon Hooten

Michael Leon Hooten

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 180 lb.
• School Long Beach City College, University of Arizona
• High School Jordan High School (Long Beach)
• Debut April 13, 1974
• Final Game May 6, 1974
• Born April 4, 1948 in Downey, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Leon Hooten played professional baseball for six seasons, including a handful of games in the majors.

While at the University of Arizona, Hooten pitched in the 1970 College World Series. After college, he signed with the Oakland Athletics and made his pro debut with the Coos Bay-North Bend A's in 1971. He reached the majors early in the 1974 and posted a 3.24 ERA in 6 outings with the club. Following the 1976 season, he was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the expansion draft. However, he was released before the team's inaugural season and never pitched professionally again.

He appears in the 1977 O-Pee-Chee baseball card set, destined for the Canadian marked, but not in the Topps set on which it was based. The Canadian set, although much smaller than the U.S. set, includes additional players on the Blue Jays who did not have a card in the larger set and Hooten is one of these.

Further Reading

• Chip Greene: "Leon Hooten", in Chip Greene, ed.: Mustaches and Mayhem, Charlie O's Three-Time Champions: The Oakland Athletics 1972-74, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2015, pp. 521-526. ISBN 978-1-943816-07-1

Related Sites

• Leon Hooten at the SABR Bio Project