The Houston Astros are confirming some tragic news about one of their former prospects.
MLB reporter Hector Gomez shared the news late Friday night that ex-Astros pitching prospect Ronny Garcia was killed in a traffic accident at the age of 24. The accident, which took place in Samana, Dominican Republic, also reportedly took the life of Garcia’s father, who was traveling with him.
The Astros confirmed the news of Garcia’s death on Saturday morning, saying that they were “deeply saddened.”
We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Astros prospect, Ronny Garcia.
Our condolences go out to his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/CjoErDe6EC
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 20, 2024
Garcia spent many years in the Astros organization after first signing with them as an international free agent in 2016 (when he was just 16 years old). A right-handed reliever, Garcia played six total seasons in the farm system of the Astros. While he never made it past the High-A level, Garcia posted a strong minor-league career ERA of 3.42 with 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings over 122 total appearances.
In February, Garcia signed a deal to play in the Atlantic League with the York Revolution. The 2024 Atlantic League season still has yet to begin though, meaning that Garcia’s final pitching appearance ultimately came with the High-A Asheville Tourists in Sept. 2023.
