Prospect Spotlight: David Leal

David Leal was a strikeout ace in college, and became even more so as a pro. The Houston, Texas native from MacArthur High School had two outstanding seasons at Louisiana Tech, bouncing back from 2019 foot surgery before his final college campaign. That summer, the Oakland A’s drafted him in the 38th round, leading to an outstanding 1st pro season.

The 6’5 left hander started 21 games (out of 28 appearances) as a Bulldog, going 8-6 with a 2.71 ERA, 0.925 WHIP, 135 strikeouts, with only 19 walks. That’s a K/BB ratio of an exceptional 7.11 - spectacular by any measure. After the draft, the A’s sent Leal to the AZL where he appeared in 17 games, all in relief. In 37.2 innings, he went 6-0, with a 1.43 ERA, an astonishing 0.637 WHIP, and an even more incredible strikeout percentage of 16.67. That’s right - he struck out 50 batters while walking only 3. 

The A’s moved him up to the Advanced-A Stockton Ports (California League) for 1 game, where he threw 4 innings, gave up 4 hits, 1 walk, and struck out 2. Overall, his K/BB percentage for the season was an amazing 13.

Louisiana Tech head coach Lane Burroughs praised Leal after the 2019 draft: “He is the epitome of what hard work and dedication to one’s craft looks like,” said Burroughs in this Crescent City Sports piece by Brock McKee. “He is the ultimate competitor…” 

Unfortunately, as everyone knows, no one played in 2020 in the minor leagues, so Leal was forced to wait out the season. He will probably start 2021 back at Stockton, now the A’s Low-A affiliate, with a chance to move up quickly to the High-A Lansing Lugnuts. Wherever he is, you can bet he will continue to be a tenacious competitor and mow down hitters. 

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