Landon Reed Powell (born March 19, 1982 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is a catcher and first baseman for the Oakland Athletics.

Powell led Apex High School in Apex, North Carolina to the 2000 4-A state championship as a junior. Because he was already 18 years old, he was eligible to enter the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft but chose to attend college.

Powell attended the University of South Carolina. In 2002, his first season playing for them, he had a .292 batting average with 12 home runs and was part of the team that went to the College World Series. They went all the way to the finals and lost to the Texas Longhorns. Powell continued to play for the University of South Carolina and was third on the team in batting average in 2003 (.339) and 2004 (.328). Both those years, South Carolina reached the playoffs.

After three seasons with the Gamecocks, Powell was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft as the 733rd overall pick in the 25th round. He did not sign with the Cubs and opted to play another season with the University of South Carolina. After his final season there, he entered the draft again in 2004 and the switch hitting catcher was taken in the 1st round by the Oakland Athletics as the 24th overall pick and was the Athletics’ first overall pick.

Upon signing with the Athletics on July 22, 2004, he was assigned to play for the Single-A Vancouver Canadians. He played in 38 games and hit just .237. After a Torn ACL ended Powell’s 2006 season, he returned in 2006, playing for the Single-A Stockton Ports and the Double-A Midland RockHounds.

Powell began the 2007 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 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.

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’ Felix Hernandez, driving in two runs.