Seattle Mariners pitching prospect Victor Sanchez died on Saturday, six weeks after suffering serious head injuries after an accident while swimming.
Sanchez was hit in the head by a boat propeller while swimming in his home country of Venezuela on Feb. 14. The young pitcher was in critical condition after the accident and showing very little signs of movement or brain activity. He suffered a fractured skull and required a cranieoctomy.
Sanchez was signed by the Mariners at 16 years old in 2011 and given a $2.5 million signing bonus. He began playing in the Mariners’ system as a 17-year-old in 2012. He showed extreme promise for someone his age by going 6-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 15 starts in low-A ball that season. He went 7-6 with a 4.19 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 124.2 innings as a 19-year-old in Double-A last season, which is impressive given his youth.
“We thought for sure he was going to be a major-league pitcher,’’ Zduriencik said last month in an interview with The Seattle Times.
Sanchez made his mark in 2013 by pitching a no-hitter:
News of the 20-year-old’s death was reported by Venezuelan outlet Meridiano.
Image via YouTube/Baseball Instinct
