Ramon Laureano awarded Play of the Week for home run-robbing catch

April 22nd, 2019

Oakland Athletics centerfielder Ramón Laureano was awarded the Play of the Week by Major League Baseball for his home run robbing catch in the second inning of the April 21 game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Laureano ranged back to the wall and leapt to steal a home run away from Toronto’s Teoscar Hernández. After the catch, he threw the ball back towards first base, overthrowing first baseman Kendrys Morales before catcher Nick Hundley backed up the play and threw to second base to throw out Justin Smoak who was attempting to advance on the play.

Laureano, 24, ranks second in the Major Leagues with five outfield assists, and despite not making his Major League debut until last August, his 14 outfield assists in 70 games are the second most in the Majors behind Teoscar Hernández (138 games) since the start of the 2018 season.

Laureano ranks tied for first in the American League and tied for fourth in the Majors among outfielders with four defensive runs saved behind San Francisco’s Steven Duggar (7), San Diego’s Wil Myers (6) and Milwaukee’s Lorenzo Cain (5).

In 71 career games, Laureano is hitting .268 (63-for-235) with 38 runs, 13 doubles, 1 triple, 8 home runs and 27 RBI with a .767 OPS. Laureano was acquired in a trade with Houston on Nov. 20, 2017 after being selected by the Astros in the 16th round of the 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.