Michael de León

Michael de León

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 160 lb.

• Born January 14, 1997 in Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional D.R.

BR register page

Biographical Information

Michael de León peaked at AAA and has been on the Dominican national team.

De León was initially signed by Texas Rangers scout Danilo Troncoso in July 2013. His bonus was $550,000. He made his pro debut at AA, with the Frisco RoughRiders, going 1 for 3 with a run. He spent most of the season with the Hickory Crawdads, hitting .244/.302/.295 and fielding .967 at short. He had six postseason RBI for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. He became the youngest player in Arizona Fall League annals and batted .240/.291/.280 for the Surprise Saguaros.

He hit .222/.277/.281 for the '15 Crawdads but missed time to injuries. In 2016, he was the second-youngest California League player, hitting .267/.308/.386 for the High Desert Mavericks, with 26 doubles. His .964 fielding percentage led the league's shortstops. In the 2017 Caribbean Series, he was 2-for-2 with two walks and a double for the Tigres del Licey, backing up Sergio Alcántara at short. With the RoughRiders in 2017, he eked out a .223/.257/.284 line. Opening as the Texas League's second-youngest player, he paced TL shortstops in putouts (167) and double plays (82). He was 0-for-11 with two walks and a run for the 2017-2018 Tigres.

Back with Frisco for 2018, he improved to .262/.295/.328 and again led TL shortstops in putouts and double plays. He was 1-for-9 for Licey in 2018-2019, . He produced at a .260/.309/.315 rate for Frisco in '19, his third straight season there; he was still young for the league, but by no means near the youngest. He had the lowest K rate in the TL. The Cincinnati Reds chose him in the AAA portion of the 2019 Rule V Draft. He hit .171/.183/.214 as a backup middle infielder for the 2019-2020 Tigres.

The 2020 minor league season was cancelled due to COVID-19. In 2020-2021, he was 6-for-25 with a walk and two doubles for Licey. He spent most of 2021 in AAA, with the Louisville Bats, backing up all infield spots, but mostly on the corners (his 49 games at 3B actually led the team, 19 ahead of Alejo López). He hit .258/.302/.389 and was still young for his level, so the majors were still within reach. In 2021-2022, he was 7-for-20 with a walk, three runs and a RBI for the Tigres. He split 2022 between the Bats (.233/.302/.322 in 64 G) and the Chattanooga Lookouts (.266/.302/.398 in 32 G). Once again a bench player with Licey, he hit .231/.279/.462 in 2022-2023. When Licey won the 2023 Caribbean Series, he was 1-for-2 with a run, backing up former MLB great Robinson Canó at second base.

He did not play in the minors in 2023, then hit .226/.257/.314 for Licey in 2023-2024, starting at short ahead of Alcántara. Active in summer ball again in 2024, he split time between the Rieleros de Aguascalientes and Bravos de León; his composite batting line was .264/.335/.351 in 50 games. Suiting up for the Dominican entry in the 2024 Premier 12, serving as their starter at second base. His first time up, he was retired by Cuba's Yoennis Yera then singled off him the next time up. He hit .235/.235/.294 with one RBI in five games, fielding .950. He tied Min-jae Shin for 7th in the event with 14 assists.