Former Houston Astros Prospect Dead at 24 After Traffic Accident
Former Houston Astros prospect Ronny Garcia died in a traffic accident in his native Dominican Republic, it was reported over the weekend. He was just 24.
According to NBC News, Garcia and his father were both killed in the accident, which involved two motorcycles, on the Las Galeras-Samaná highway in Samaná. Dominican reporter Héctor Gómez, who covers minor league baseball, was the first to report on the news early Saturday.
On Saturday, the North Carolina-based Fayetteville Woodpeckers, a minor league affiliate of the Astros where Garcia had spent three seasons, remembered him in a social media post.
"We are saddened to learn of the passing of Ronny Garcia," the team wrote in a statement on X. "Ronny spent parts of three seasons with Fayetteville, always carrying a smile around the ballpark."
"He was a talented pitcher and a beloved teammate," the statement added. "Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time."
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Ronny Garcia. Ronny spent parts of three seasons with Fayetteville, always carrying a smile around the ballpark.
He was a talented pitcher and a beloved teammate. Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/6LalISRROT— Fayetteville Woodpeckers (@WoodpeckersNC) April 20, 2024
Garcia joined the Astros as an international prospect in 2016 when he was just 16 years old, playing in the organization's minor league teams as a relief pitcher for seven years. Through his minor league career, Garcia recorded 200 strikeouts, a 3.42 lifetime ERA, and just 170 hits in 186.2 innings.
Most recently, he had signed to play for Pennsylvania's York Revolution for the 2024 season.
"He’ll be a young bullpen arm for us,” said team manager Rick Forney in a press release back in February. “I’m excited about him. He has really good career numbers. He’s an intriguing young pitcher. I’m hoping I can get him to be more than just a one-inning guy, maybe a bridge-type guy in the sixth or seventh inning. I’m excited to get my eyes on him.”
