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Brandon Leytón

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Leytón and the second or maternal family name is Olivas.
Brandon Leytón
Tigres de Chinandega – No. 5
Infielder
Born: (1998-12-17) 17 December 1998 (age 26)
León, Nicaragua
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Brandon Steven Leytón Olivas (born December 17, 1998) is a Nicaraguan professional baseball player for the Tigres de Chinandega of the Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League and the Nicaragua national baseball team. Leytón represents Nicaragua in international competition, including at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Professional career

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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] Over 56 games with the Dominican Summer League Diamondbacks, he batted .218 in his rookie year. In 2017, he split time between the Dominican Summer League and the Missoula Osprey of the Pioneer League, batting .277. Leytón spent all of 2018 with Missoula, batting .274, and split his 2019 season between the Low-A Hillsboro Hops and the Single-A Kane County Cougars, hitting a combined .222.[3]

Leytón was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2020 Rule 5 draft.[4] He played with the Single-A Daytona Tortugas in 2021, slashing .248/.296/.393 over 80 games. The following year he played with four different teams in the Reds organization, reaching Triple-A Louisville, where he went 5-for-24 over seven games; over the course of the whole year, he combined for a .250/.274/.471 slash line.[3]

Leytón played with the Leones de León of the Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League during the 2018–19 season, when they won the championship.[5] More recently, he has played with the Tigres de Chinandega during the regular LBPN season.[6] Nevertheless, he rejoined the Leones team representing Nicaragua at the 2025 Serie de las Américas, where he was named to the all-tournament team.[7]

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.[8]

International career

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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.[8] Going into the qualifiers for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Leytón was considered the best player on the Nicaraguan national team, whcih was trying to earn its first ever berth in the tournament.[9] He was selected for Nicaragua's 2023 World Baseball Classic roster, registered under the name Steven Leytón. He registered three hits in 13 at-bats, with one double, one walk, and three strikeouts.[10] 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.[11] He batted .385, with six hits in 13 at-bats across Nicaragua's three victories.[12] One of his hits was a solo home run in the 2–1 victory over Spain.[13] He was named one of the 10 standout players from the qualifiers by MLB.com, helping Nicaragua qualify to the 2026 tournament undefeated.[14][15]

References

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  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. ^ "Reds add 6 players in the Minor League Rule 5 Draft". Redsminorleagues.com. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  5. ^ "MLB APRUEBA A CUATRO PELOTEROS PARA JUGAR EN LA PRÓXIMA LBPN". LBPN. 26 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Brandon Leyton". Russian League Baseball Web Site. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  7. ^ "Serie de Las America All-Tournament Team". World Baseball Network. 31 January 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Brandon Steven Leyton Olivas". WBSC.org.
  9. ^ "La historia de Brandon Leytón, el mejor jugador de Nicaragua en el Preclásico". La Prensa. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Stats - Nicaragua". MLB.com. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  11. ^ "Nicaragua Announces Roster for 2025 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers". World Baseball Network. 12 February 2025. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  12. ^ "Stats - Nicaragua". MLB.com. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ Clair, Michael (11 March 2025). "10 standouts from the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers". Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  15. ^ Clair, Michael (6 March 2025). "Colombia and Brazil snag final 2 spots in 2026 World Baseball Classic". MLB.com.
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