José Ramón Leclerc (born December 19, 1993) is a Dominican professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the Athletics of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Texas Rangers. He made his MLB debut in 2016.

Early life

José Ramón Leclerc was born on December 19, 1993, in

Esperanza, Dominican Republic Esperanza is a Municipalities of the Dominican Republic, municipality (''municipio'') of the Valverde Province, Valverde province in the Dominican Republic. Within the municipality there are four municipal districts (''distritos municipal''): Boca ...

Professional career

Texas Rangers

Minor leagues

Leclerc signed with the Texas Rangers as an international free agent on November 20, 2010. Leclerc made his professional debut in 2011 with the DSL Rangers, posting a 3–1 win–loss record with a 2.36

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) and 27

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s in

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

. He returned to the DSL Rangers for the 2012 season, pitching to a 3–1 record, a 1.54 ERA, and 41 strikeouts in innings. In 2013, Leclerc pitched for the Hickory Crawdads of the

Single-A Single-A, formerly known as Class A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A, Double-A (baseball), Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams cl ...

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

. He had a 3–4 record with a 3.36 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 59 innings. He spent the 2014 season with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the

High-A High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

and finished the season with a 4–1 record with a 3.30 ERA and 79 strikeouts in innings. Leclerc was utilized as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

for the

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. Based in Frisco, Texas, the team is named aft ...

of the Double-A

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

in 2015. He struggled to a 6–8 record with 5.77 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 103 innings. The Rangers added Leclerc to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

after the 2015 season, in order to be protect from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. He began the 2016 season with Frisco, posting a 0–5 record with a 3.52 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 23 innings. He received a midseason promotion to the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home ...

of the Triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

, where he posted a 2–2 record with a 2.72 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 43 innings.

Major leagues

The Rangers promoted Leclerc to the major leagues for first time on July 5, 2016. In all, Leclerc posted a 0–0 record with a 1.80 ERA, 15 strikeouts, and 13 walks in 15 innings (12 games) of major league action. Leclerc made the Texas Rangers' 2017

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster out of

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

. He earned his first career save April 12 vs. Los Angeles Angels, entering the game with one out and a runner on second in the 8th inning with a 6–3 lead before striking out

Mike Trout Michael Nelson Trout (born August 7, 1991) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). Trout is an 11-time Major League Baseball All-Star Game, All-Star, three-time American League (A ...

and getting

Albert Pujols José Alberto Pujols Alcántara (, ; born December 11, 1985) is a Dominicans, Dominican professional baseball Manager (baseball), manager and former first baseman and designated hitter who is the manager of the Leones del Escogido of the Domin ...

to fly out. He appeared in ten games before going on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

on May 9 with a sprained right index finger. Before going on the disabled list, Leclerc recorded 18 strikeouts in innings pitched. Leclerc finished the 2017 season posting a 2–3 record with a 3.94 ERA and 60 strikeouts in innings. In 2018, Leclerc split the month of April between the Rangers bullpen and Round Rock, returning to the major league roster for good on April 30. In August, after the Rangers traded Keone Kela to the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

, Leclerc became the Rangers' closer. Leclerc produced his best season to date in 2018, producing a 2–3 record, 1.56 ERA, 85 strikeouts, and 12 saves in innings pitched. Leclerc was named the 2018 Rangers' Pitcher of the Year by the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the

Baseball Writers' Association of America The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) is a professional association for journalists writing about Major League Baseball for daily newspapers, magazines, and qualifying websites. The organization was founded in 1908 and is known fo ...

. On March 6, 2019, the Rangers signed Leclerc to a four-year contract extension through the 2022 season, with club options for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The deal was worth $14.75 million guaranteed over four years, with $12.25 million possible over the two option seasons. In 2019, Leclerc went 2–4 with a 4.33 ERA, 100 strikeouts, and 14 saves over innings. In 2020, Leclerc pitched in only 2 games due to the pandemic. On March 29, 2021, it was announced that Leclerc would undergo

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

and miss the 2021 season. On March 30, Leclerc was placed on the 60-day injured list. After completing rehab, Leclerc returned to MLB action in June 2022. That season he went 0–3 with a 2.83 ERA, 54 strikeouts, and seven saves over innings. Leclerc appeared in 57 games for the Rangers in 2023, posting a 2.68 ERA with 67 strikeouts across 57 innings pitched. In the 2023 postseason, Leclerc set an MLB record by becoming the first pitcher to close his team's first seven games of the postseason. He threw innings, allowed just one run, and recorded three saves over that span. On October 28, Leclerc made his World Series debut, pitching two innings and earning the win as the Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in extra innings. He won his first

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

with the 2023 Rangers. Leclerc made 64 appearances for the Rangers in 2024, posting a 4.32 ERA with 89 strikeouts across 66²⁄₃ innings pitched. He became a free agent after the season.

Athletics

On January 17, 2025, Leclerc signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Athletics. On April 23, Leclerc was shut down due to a lat muscle strain. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 30.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leclerc, Jose 1993 births Living people Sportspeople from Valverde Province Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Major League Baseball pitchers Texas Rangers players Athletics (baseball) players Dominican Summer League Rangers players Hickory Crawdads players Myrtle Beach Pelicans players Gigantes del Cibao players Frisco RoughRiders players Round Rock Express players