Landon Reed Powell (born March 19, 1982) is an American former 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 ...

player and current

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

. He played in

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 ...

as a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

from 2009 to 2011 for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

. Powell is the current head baseball coach of the

North Greenville Crusaders The North Greenville Trailblazers are the athletic teams representing North Greenville University, located in Tigerville, South Carolina, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Conference C ...

. He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

from 2001 to 2004. He was the Athletics' catcher on May 9, 2010, when pitcher Dallas Braden threw a perfect game.

High school

Powell led Apex High School in

Apex, North Carolina Apex () is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. At its southern border, Apex encompasses the community of Friendship. In 1994, the downtown area was designated a historic district, and the Apex train depot, built in 1867, is de ...

to the 2000 4A state championship as a junior. Although he was a junior in high school, because he was already 18 years old, Powell was eligible to enter the

2000 Major League Baseball Draft The 2000 Major League Baseball draft, was the annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held in June 2000. A total of 1,452 players were drafted. First round selections Compensation picks Background The Florida Marlins ...

and did so. However, he went undrafted because his agent,

Scott Boras Scott Dean Boras (born November 2, 1952) is an American sports agent, specializing in baseball. He is the founder, owner and president of the Boras Corporation, a sports agency based in Newport Beach, California, that represents roughly 175 pro ...

, did not inform teams he was available. This made Powell a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

, but he chose to attend college after failing to receive an acceptable offer from an MLB club. This loophole in the drafting system was later closed due to this incident and would happen again one year later involving

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, ...

Jeremy Bonderman Jeremy Allen Bonderman (born October 28, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Bonderman played in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners from 2003 to 2010 and in 2013. High school Bonderman atten ...

College

Powell attended the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

. In 2002, as a sophomore, he had a .292

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with 12

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...

and started at catcher as the team went to the

2002 College World Series The 2002 NCAA Division I baseball tournament was played at the end of the 2002 NCAA Division I baseball season to determine the national champion of college baseball. The tournament concluded with eight teams competing in the College World Seri ...

. The Gamecocks made a run to the finals, but eventually lost to the

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and ...

in the last College World Series to have a single game final series. In 2003 the tournament would expand the finals to a best of 3. In 2003 and 2004, Powell once again helped lead the University of South Carolina to the CWS and ranked third on the team in batting average in 2003 (.339) and 2004 (.328). Powell received College World Series all-tournament honors as a catcher in both 2002 and 2003. In his four seasons with the Gamecocks, Powell was a leading offensive threat. He finished with a career batting average of .306 as a switch-hitting catcher, with 44 home runs, 61 doubles, and 193 RBI. The two-time team captain was named as an All-American in 2002 and 2004 as well as all-SEC in his senior season. In 2010, Powell was named to the NCAA World Series Legends Team. He and Ryan Garko were named as catchers.

Professional career

Draft

After three seasons with the Gamecocks, Powell was drafted by the

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

in the

2003 Major League Baseball Draft The 2003 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 3 and 4. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. ''Source:MLB.com 2003 Draft Tracker' First round selections Supplemental first r ...

as the 733rd overall pick in the 25th round. He did not sign with the Cubs and opted instead to play another season with the University of South Carolina. After his final season there, he entered the draft again in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

and the switch hitting catcher was taken in the 1st round by the

as the 24th overall pick and was the Athletics' first overall pick. Major League scouts reported Powell had a great baseball IQ, and soft hands which made him a top prospect.

Oakland Athletics

Upon signing with the Athletics on July 22, 2004, he was assigned to play for the Single-A

Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bail ...

. He played in 38 games and hit just .237. Teammate Kurt Suzuki, also taken in the 2004 draft, got more playing time as he played in 46 games and hit .297. Both were the organizations catchers of the future and only time would tell who would reach the majors first. Powell's chances were ruined when in , he was out for the entire season when he underwent surgery to repair a left

torn ACL An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during in ...

. After a lost year, he played again in , playing for the Single-A

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Banner I ...

and the Double-A

Midland RockHounds The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, which ope ...

. Powell began the season playing for the Rockhounds. In 60 games with them, he hit .292 with 11 home runs. He was promoted to play with the Triple-A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

on June 28. He played just 4 games for the River Cats before reaggravating the same knee that forced him to sit the 2005 season. Powell missed the rest of the 2007 season. He was considered as a possibility to split the catching duties for the major league club in 2008 but with his injury, it wasn't possible. On November 20, 2007, the Athletics purchased his contract, protecting him 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 ...

. Powell made his major league debut for the Athletics on April 11, 2009. In his first major league at-bat, Powell doubled in the second inning off the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

Félix Hernández Félix Abraham Hernández García (born April 8, 1986), nicknamed "King Félix", is a Venezuelan-American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners from 2005 through 2019. Hernánd ...

, driving in two runs. He spent the entire season in the big leagues, yet only appeared in 46 games (36 at catcher, 6 at first base and 3 at DH), as Kurt Suzuki for the second straight year led the majors in games caught. He finished the season with .229 batting average with 7 home runs and 30 RBIs. On May 9, 2010, Powell caught Dallas Braden's perfect game. Powell was designated for assignment on December 23, 2011, and outrighted to the

on January 5, 2012. On March 9, 2012, Powell was released by the Athletics.

Houston Astros

On March 14, 2012, Powell signed a minor league deal with the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

with an invite to spring training. On April 3, 2012, Houston assigned him to the

Oklahoma City RedHawks Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. He became a free agent following the season.

New York Mets

On January 18, 2013, Powell signed a minor league contract with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

with an invite to spring training. Reassigned to AAA Las Vegas 51s on March 30, 2013. On June 8, 2013, the Las Vegas 51s released Powell from his contract.

Coaching

On May 9, 2014, Powell was hired by

North Greenville University North Greenville University is a Private university, private Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist college in Tigerville, South Carolina. It is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges ...

, a Division II school located in Tigerville, South Carolina, to be the head coach of the baseball team. On June 10, 2022, Powell managed the North Greenville Crusaders to their first ever Baseball NCAA DII National Championship winning over Point Loma University with a final score of 5–3.

Personal life

On January 25, 2013, Powell and his wife Allyson lost their infant daughter Izzy, who died from

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis In hematology, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), also known as haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis ( British spelling), and hemophagocytic or haemophagocytic syndrome, is an uncommon hematologic disorder seen more often in children than ...

. Powell continues to raise awareness for the need for

organ donation Organ donation is the process when a person authorizes an organ (anatomy), organ of their own to be removed and organ transplantation, transplanted to another person, #Legislation and global perspectives, legally, either by consent while the d ...

, due to his own struggles with

autoimmune hepatitis Autoimmune hepatitis, formerly known as lupoid hepatitis, plasma cell hepatitis, or autoimmune chronic active hepatitis, is a chronic, autoimmune disease of the liver that occurs when the body's immune system attacks liver cells, causing the liv ...

. The Powells have two other children, a son and another daughter.

References

External links

North Greenville Crusader coach bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Landon 1982 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball coaches from North Carolina Baseball players from Raleigh, North Carolina Las Vegas 51s players Major League Baseball catchers Midland RockHounds players North Greenville Crusaders baseball coaches North Greenville University alumni Oakland Athletics players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Sacramento River Cats players South Carolina Gamecocks baseball players Sportspeople from Raleigh, North Carolina Stockton Ports players University of South Carolina alumni Vancouver Canadians players