Brandon Leytón

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Leytón and the second or maternal family name is Olivas.
Brandon Leytón
Free agent
Infielder
Born: (1998-12-17) 17 December 1998
León, Nicaragua
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Brandon Steven Leytón Olivas (born December 17, 1998) is a Nicaraguan professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. Leytón represents the Nicaragua national baseball team in international competition, including at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Professional career

Arizona Diamondbacks

The son of former baseball player Reymundo Leytón, who played on the Nicaraguan national team, was discovered by Julio Sánchez, manager of the Nicaraguan national team and scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks.[1] He was officially signed as an international free agent by Diamondbacks scout Junior Noboa on January 26, 2016.[2] He made his professional debut with the Dominican Summer League Diamondbacks, hitting .218 with 22 RBI over 56 appearances. In 2017, Leytón split time between the DSL Diamondbacks and the rookie-level Missoula Osprey of the Pioneer League, batting .277/.325/.423 with four home runs, 24 RBI, and five stolen bases.

Leytón spent all of 2018 with Missoula, batting .274/.309/.419 with six home runs, 34 RBI, and eight stolen bases. He split his 2019 season between the Low-A Hillsboro Hops and Single-A Kane County Cougars, hitting a combined .222/.302/.320 with four home runs, 20 RBI, and four stolen bases.[3] Leytón did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]

Cincinnati Reds

On December 10, 2010, Leytón was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft.[5] He played with the Single-A Daytona Tortugas in 2021, slashing .248/.296/.393 with six home runs, 36 RBI, and four stolen bases over 80 games. In 2022, Leytón split the year between the Single-A Daytona Tortugas, Dayton, the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts, and Triple-A Louisville Bats. In 84 appearances for the four affiliates, he slashed a cumulative .250/.274/.471 with 11 home runs, 47 RBI, and six stolen bases.[3]

Leytón returned to Chattanooga and Louisville in 2023, but played in only 10 games due to a left hamstring strain. In 26 plate appearances during those games, he went 4-for-23 (.174) with one RBI. Leytón elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2023.[6]

Winter leagues

Leytón played with the Leones de León of the Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League during the 2018–19 season, when they won the championship.[7] More recently, he has played with the Tigres de Chinandega during the regular LBPN season.[8] Nevertheless, he rejoined the Leones team representing Nicaragua at the 2025 Serie de las Américas, where he was named to the all-tournament team.[9]

Leytón has also played with Tigres de Chinandega in the Germán Pomares Championship, Nicaragua's summer league. At the 2025 Baseball Champions League Americas, he batted .438, going 7-for-16 with two doubles and two home runs in three games.[10]

International career

Leytón represents the Nicaragua national baseball team in international competition. At the Americas Qualifying Event for the 2020 Summer Olympics being held in Tokyo in 2021, he posted two hits in nine at-bats.[10] Going into the qualifiers for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Leytón was considered the best player on the Nicaraguan national team, which was trying to earn its first ever berth in the tournament.[11] He was selected for Nicaragua's 2023 World Baseball Classic roster, registered under the name Steven Leytón. He registered three hits in thirteen at-bats, with one double, one walk, and three strikeouts.[12] Nicaragua was eliminated from the tournament, and would be forced to re-qualify for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

In February 2025, Leytón was chosen to represent Nicaragua at the 2026 World Baseball Classic qualification.[13] He batted .385, with six hits in thirteen at-bats across Nicaragua's three victories.[14] One of his hits was a solo home run in the 2–1 victory over Spain.[15] He was named one of the ten standout players from the qualifiers by MLB.com, helping Nicaragua qualify to the 2026 tournament undefeated.[16][17]

References

  1. ^ "Brandon Leytón: "nunca perdí las esperanzas de firmar"". La Prensa. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  2. ^ "Arizona Diamondbacks 2019 Media Guide". p. 220. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Brandon Leyton". Baseball Reference (minors).
  4. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  5. ^ "Reds add 6 players in the Minor League Rule 5 Draft". Redsminorleagues.com. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  6. ^ "2023 MiLB Free Agents". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  7. ^ "MLB APRUEBA A CUATRO PELOTEROS PARA JUGAR EN LA PRÓXIMA LBPN". LBPN. 26 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Brandon Leyton". Russian League Baseball Web Site. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  9. ^ "Serie de Las America All-Tournament Team". World Baseball Network. 31 January 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Brandon Steven Leyton Olivas". WBSC.org.
  11. ^ "La historia de Brandon Leytón, el mejor jugador de Nicaragua en el Preclásico". La Prensa. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  12. ^ "Stats - Nicaragua". MLB.com. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  13. ^ "Nicaragua Announces Roster for 2025 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers". World Baseball Network. 12 February 2025. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  14. ^ "Stats - Nicaragua". MLB.com. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  15. ^ "Clásico Mundial de Béisbol: Otro electrizante walk-off para Nicaragua! Dejan tendido a España en extrainnings". Al Bat. 22 February 2025. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  16. ^ Clair, Michael (11 March 2025). "10 standouts from the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers". Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  17. ^ Clair, Michael (6 March 2025). "Colombia and Brazil snag final 2 spots in 2026 World Baseball Classic". MLB.com.
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