Leonardo Valenzuela

Leonardo Valenzuela Zavala

• Bats Left, Throws Left

• Born November 12, 1956 in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora Mexico

BR Minors page

Leonardo Valenzuela was a Mexican League outfielder noted for his defense.

Valenzuela debuted in 1977. He tore up the Mexican Center League for Ciudad Victoria, hitting .418/.485/.611. He led the MCL's outfielders in assists (15, tied) and putouts (170, 28 more than anyone else). He was intentionally walked the most (8 times) and was second in average, .003 behind Ray Torres. He made his Mexican League debut that year as well, hitting .231/.272/.306 for the Monterrey Sultans.

By 1978, Leo was starting for the Sultans and putting up a .319/.371/.412 batting line. He did not homer in 571 at-bats but led the league with 16 triples, scored 85 runs and stole 29 bases in 48 tries. He tied Antonio Villaescusa for the stolen base lead. He also led Mexican League outfielders in putouts (384) and assists (27, 6 more than anyone else).

For an encore, the 22-year-old hit .317/.366/.434 with 76 runs, 22 steals (in 36 tries) and 19 triples in 1979. He tied for the most putouts (331) in the outfield and was second with 22 assists. He tied Albino Diaz's Mexican League record for three-baggers in a season, five more than anyone else had in '79.

Leonardo fell to .285/.320/.321 for the 1980 Sultans. He was then banned from the Mexican League due to his role in the player's strike and formation of the rival Asociation Nacional de Beisbolistas. He spent 1981-1985 in independent leagues in Mexico before finally being reinstated by the LMB.

Returning in 1986, he was now with the Monclova Steelers and still a force to be reckoned with at .309/.377/.529 with 35 doubles, 20 home runs and 99 runs. He was three doubles behind leader Jimmie Collins. In 1987, the veteran had his best average in the Mexican League at .342/.422/.515 with 88 runs to boot. He remained productive in '88 by batting .327/.424/.542 for his best LMB OPS. He scored 91 runs, cracked 20 home runs, drew 75 walks, drove in 83 and stole 24 bases in 36 tries.

The Sonora native hit .323/.404/.493 for the 1989 Steelers, followed by .315/.383/.430 in 1990. That season, he had a whopping 32 assists to set a Mexican League record for an outfielder. He batted .334/.430/.484 in 1991 for his last .300 season. He split 1992 between Monclova and Monterrey, hitting .297/.396/.375. After spending his first 11 Mexican League seasons with two different teams, he bounced around three clubs in his last two years. He hit .298/.400/.397 for the Yucatan Lions and the Tabasco Banana Dealers in 1993. In 1994, he put up a .266/.377/.324 line in 51 games for the Puebla Angels.

Overall, Valenzuela batted .313/.389/.445 in 1,403 Mexican League games, with 844 runs, 95 home runs, 628 walks and 145 steals in 244 tries. As of 2010, he was tied for 13th in league history with 75 triples.

As of 2011, Leonardo is a coach for the Saltillo Saraperos.

Sources: The Mexican League: Comprehensive Player Statistics by Pedro Treto Cisneros, 1978-1980 and 1991 Baseball Guides, Salon de la Fama, 2011 Mexican League Baseball Guide by Bruce Baskin (online publication), correspondence with Bruce Baskin