KC Royals Yordano Ventura, Andy Marte Killed in Car Accidents

In tragic news Sunday morning, the MLB lost a former top prospect and a current young up-and-coming young pitcher, as KC Royals starting pitcher Yordano Ventura and former player Andy Marte were killed this morning.

According to a report from MLB Trade Rumors Sunday morning, KC Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura and former top prospect third baseman Andy Marte were killed in a pair of automobile accidents in the Dominican Republic. (Editor note: this had originally been reported as the same accident and thus reported as such in this report. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.)

Ventura

Ventura had long been in the eyes of the Royals system, and after working his way up the system. He had made 90 starts over the last three seasons, and at just 25, the Royals were looking to him as a future piece of their rotation for years to come.

Ventura’s best season came in his first full season in 2014, when he went 14-10 over 31 appearances, 30 of them starts, throwing 183 innings with a 3.20 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and posting a 69/159 BB/K ratio.

He was well-known for his fiery personality on the mound, and had struggles in 2016 with his control, but this was a young pitcher that was on the way up for sure.

Marte

Marte came up in the Atlanta Braves system, and was rated a top 15 prospect in all of baseball after the 2004, 2005, and 2006 seasons, peaking at #9 after the 2005 season.

The Braves traded him as part of acquiring Edgar Renteria after 2005, and he finished that offseason as a member of the Cleveland Indians.

He also appeared in the minor league systems of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Angels while last making an appearance in the major leagues in 2014 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Marte has spent the last two seasons in Korea, where he combined for a .312/.390/.547 line with 42 home runs and a 101/111 BB/K ratio over 206 games.

Next: Reds Revised Top 10 Prospect List

Marte was 32, and Ventura was 25. Rest in peace.