Minnesota Twins minor league pitcher Yorman Landa died early Saturday morning following an automobile accident in his native Venezuela. He was 22.
Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com passed along the news, including a statement from the Twins via chief baseball officer Derek Falvey:
The Minnesota Twins are deeply saddened by the heartbreaking loss of Yorman Landa early this morning in Venezuela. On behalf of the entire baseball community, we send our sincerest condolences to the Landa family as well as Yorman’s many friends, coaches and teammates.
Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press provided details about the accident from Daniel Szew, Landa’s agent, who stated the pitcher was the only person killed. He was riding in the passenger seat of a car driven by his father, and there were four or five people in the vehicle, which struck a fallen tree.
“The ambulance took quite a while to get there,” Szew said. “He was literally the nicest kid. He was my little brother.”
Landa joined the Twins organization as a 16-year-old prospect in 2010. He started his journey through the club’s minor league system in the 2011 Dominican Summer League and reached the Florida State League at the Class A Advanced level this past season.
The right-handed reliever made 31 appearances out of the Fort Myers Miracle bullpen in 2016 and finished with a 3.24 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 41.2 innings.
He earned a spot in the league’s All-Star Game in June, and David Dorsey of the News-Press noted at the time the pitcher was thrilled.
“It’s good to play with them, because they’re the best in the league,” Landa said.
Landa made 130 appearances, including 26 starts, between the Twins organization and the Venezuelan Winter League from 2011 to 2016. He posted a 2.97 ERA and 1.33 WHIP while striking out 241 batters in 257.2 innings.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com