Balancing act for prospect
León deals with positional switch while worrying about family in Cuba
DENVER — By now, Pedro León is used to relying on his instincts and not much else.
The 23-year-old Cuban, one of the Astros’ most highly touted prospects, in the past year has had to navigate a transition to American baseball disrupted by the global pandemic and complicated by a positional switch from center fielder to shortstop.
So as León stepped out into the sunlight at Coors Field on Sunday, where he represented the Astros on the MLB Futures Game roster, he couldn’t help but perceive the opportunity as a long-awaited payoff for what he describes an emotionally and physically taxing first minor league season with the Class AA Corpus Christi Hooks.
“I feel very happy and very proud to be wearing the American League uniform,” he said in Spanish through an interpreter. “I believe that the things that you do outside of the field like the extra work is what really matters at the end, because those extra hours are the ones that at the end pay off.”
León is the organization’s lone representative at AllStar weekend after the four Astros selected as All-Star reserves — Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Michael Brantley and Ryan Pressly — all decided to skip the exhibition.
So the weekend’s spotlight will be trained even brighter on León, who has already received plenty of attention as the No. 2ranked prospect in the Astros organization since he signed a $4.5 million deal with Houston in January during the international signing period.
León, however, is playing with an even bigger weight
on his mind: The plight of his family back in Cuba, which is embroiled in a state of emergency because of a recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
“It’s been extremely hard because Cuba right now is going through hell. My family also is suffering like everybody else,” he said. “I feel very bad for the situation in the country right now. It’s going through this horrible time. But, you know, I thank God that they are OK, and I’m doing my best to make them proud here.”
When he first arrived in the United States, he found comfort in the presence of fellow Cubans such as Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel, whom León idolized as a young player growing up on the island.
Seeing Cuban players achieve success in MLB has helped motivate León to do the same.
“I am here like everybody else, just to be in a free country to help my family, to get the best for them,” he said. “And the only thing I do is pray, pray, pray to God every single day that every Cuban can get out of this. Now is different to years ago. You see now that young people, young Cuban people, are getting the courage to fight against what’s going on in the island and they are leaving early, like the baseball players. The young people of Cuba are changing, and they have now the courage to fight back against all the injustice that is going on.”
In one sense, León said, the effort and attention required to adjust to the higher level of baseball has helped offset some of the loneliness of being more than 1,000 miles away from his family in Cuba.
At spring training, an immediate challenge presented itself: The Astros, despite praising him as a top outfielder, wanted to boost his value by converting him to shortstop. In 46 games with the Hooks this season, León has appeared at shortstop 37 times and in center field seven times.
“It was very drastic at first,” he said. “It was hard to get used to, but I want to thank the Houston Astros organization for giving me the opportunity of trying in a new position, and I’ve been working extremely hard just to be very good at it.”
In the infield, the accelerated pace of play and footwork have proven his biggest challenges. Another major adjustment is on offense, where he’s facing pitchers with larger repertoires and more movement than he ever faced in Cuba. León is slashing .232/.415/ .752 in 190 plate appearances this season, compared to .383/.467/.789 during 152 plate appearances in the Cuban National Series in 201819.
Despite the learning curve, León said he feels increasingly comfortable at shortstop and is willing to continue his development at the position, even if center field might provide him a more viable path to the major leagues.
León did not start the Futures Game and never played defense in the American League’s 8-3 loss to the National League. His lone appearance came while pinch hitting for designated hitter Yoelqui Céspedes to lead off the seventh inning against Marlins pitching prospect Jake Eder. León worked a five-pitch at-bat and struck out swinging on a slider in the middle of the zone.
Earlier on Sunday, he appeared at ease during batting practice, laughing and smiling with teammates and reporters.
The 5-foot-10 León joked that he hoped to continue to surprise people with his raw power during the second half of the season.
“When people see my numbers and they see what I did in Cuba, they are expecting a big guy, strong guy, very tall guy,” he said with a grin. “And actually no, I’m a normal sized guy.”
León said he planned to return to Corpus Christi on Monday in time to rejoin the Hooks for the six-game homestand that begins Tuesday. He hopes to earn a promotion to Triple A before the season ends, another step toward his ultimate dream of cracking the big leagues.
Considering all he has overcome, his determination is unlikely to waver.
“I played in Cuba, and I believe in my skills,” he said firmly. “I know what I can do on a baseball field. So I’m just waiting for the right opportunity to move on, going up the levels, because I know that I can get there.”