Former Houston Astros Prospect Garcia Dead at 24
Former Houston Astros pitching prospect Ronny García, along with his father, tragically lost their lives in a traffic accident on the Las Galeras-Samaná highway in Samaná, Dominican Republic. García, just 24 years old, had shown promise in his career where he played in the Astros' minor league system.
García's journey in baseball began in 2016 when he signed with Houston as a 16-year-old international prospect. Over the next seven years he pitched in various leagues and teams within the organization.
In 2021, García made his way from the Dominican Summer League Affiliates to the United States. That year, he had a 2.11 ERA between the Florida Complex League and Class-A Fayetteville. His success continued into 2022, where he allowed only one run in 18.1 innings.
Throughout his professional career, García posted a 3.42 ERA, recording nine wins and 14 saves in 122 total appearances along with 200 strikeouts in 186.2 innings. He allowed 170 hits, 71 earned runs, eight home runs and 100 walks.
"We are saddened to learn of the passing of Ronny García," wrote the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, a Carolina League team and the a Single-A affiliate of the Astros in a statement. "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."
In February 2024, García signed with the York Revolution of the Atlantic League. His addition to the team was met with excitement from the team's manager, Rick Forney, who envisioned García as a valuable addition to the bullpen.
“He’ll be a young bullpen arm for us,” Revolution manager Rick Forney said a few months ago in an interview. “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.”
Our sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of a talent gone too soon.
FROM: https://www.si.com/mlb/astros/news/former-houston-astros-prospect-garcia-dead-laura9
Five Dominican pitchers in MLB opening games
Major League Baseball announced the Dominican Republic is the country outside of the United States with the most players in the rosters of MLB season 2024 opening games in the United States.
The season officially opens on Thursday, 28 March 2024 in stadiums across the United States, but two early games will be held when the Dodgers and Padres of California play in South Korea on Wednesday and Thursday.
MLB reports that among the 11 Latin American pitchers chosen to start for their teams, five are from the Dominican Republic, thus making it the country with the highest representation.
Diario Libre has reported 31 Dominican ball players are on the rosters of the MLB teams for opening day. Only seven teams will not have Dominicans on their opening rosters.
MLB comprises 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada.
FROM: https://dr1.com/news/2024/03/21/five-dominican-pitchers-in-mlb-opening-games/
The season officially opens on Thursday, 28 March 2024 in stadiums across the United States, but two early games will be held when the Dodgers and Padres of California play in South Korea on Wednesday and Thursday.
MLB reports that among the 11 Latin American pitchers chosen to start for their teams, five are from the Dominican Republic, thus making it the country with the highest representation.
Diario Libre has reported 31 Dominican ball players are on the rosters of the MLB teams for opening day. Only seven teams will not have Dominicans on their opening rosters.
MLB comprises 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada.
FROM: https://dr1.com/news/2024/03/21/five-dominican-pitchers-in-mlb-opening-games/
Recent Events: School Supply Distribution:
Like most of the world, the Dominican Republic was hit hard by the pandemic. Schools and business
closed; the country was under curfew for months at a time, baseball came to a standstill, as did the Dominican Republic Sports & Education Academy (DRSEA). But last week, the DRSEA began its comeback, holding its first event in more than two years by distributing school supplies to a group of young baseball players that are part of Los Delfindes de Caballona, a youth foundation in Santo Domingo. “We want these kids to love baseball, but also understand the importance of education in their lives,” said Cesar Geronimo, a former player with the Cincinnati Reds and a DRSEA board member.
Much more is being planned by the DRSEA in the near future, including preparing Dominican baseball players academically for college baseball scholarships in the United States. The pandemic may have slowed the DRSEA, but the organization is getting back up on its feet. If you would like to reach out or help, please visit www.drsea.org and consider a donation.
Jesús Alou, a two-time World Series champion and a big-league veteran of parts of 15 seasons, died on Friday, March 10th , according to ESPN's Enrique Rojas. Alou would have celebrated his 81st birthday on March 24. Rojas added that Alou had suffered two "cardiovascular accidents" in recent times, but that he was not known to be dealing with a "serious illness."
Alou, for his career, hit .280/.305/.353 (86 OPS+) with 32 home runs and 31 steals in 1,380 contests. His contributions were worth an estimated 0.8 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference's calculations.
Jesús was, of course, the youngest of the Alou brothers, alongside Felipe and the late Matty. The Alou family tree has since produced several other notable big-league players, including Moises, José Sosa, Luis Rojas, and Mel Rojas. Jesús, Felipe, and Matty made history on Sept. 15, 1963 when they appeared (but did not start) in the same outfield for the San Francisco Giants.
Alou, for his career, hit .280/.305/.353 (86 OPS+) with 32 home runs and 31 steals in 1,380 contests. His contributions were worth an estimated 0.8 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference's calculations.
Jesús was, of course, the youngest of the Alou brothers, alongside Felipe and the late Matty. The Alou family tree has since produced several other notable big-league players, including Moises, José Sosa, Luis Rojas, and Mel Rojas. Jesús, Felipe, and Matty made history on Sept. 15, 1963 when they appeared (but did not start) in the same outfield for the San Francisco Giants.
About the DRSEA
The Dominican Republic Sports and Education Academy (DRSEA), a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, is in the design stages. The DRSEA is planning a sports and education academy in the Dominican Republic aimed at giving talented baseball players the option of attending U.S. colleges and universities on athletic scholarships. The academy is being patterned after one in Puerto Rico that has had a high success rate of placing baseball players there on U.S. college teams. Land for the academy has been identified in the Dominican Republic, not far from the capital of Santo Domingo. If all goes well, the academy could open its doors in the not too distant future, said Charles S. Farrell, founder, principal and senior consultant for Sports Perspectives International, a sports advocacy, marketing and consulting firm. The ultimate goal of the DR Sports and Education Academy is to level the playing field in terms of full minority participation in the $450 billion a year global sports industry; amateur, professional, and on the educational level. “The Dominican Republic has embraced baseball more passionately than any other country I know,” Farrell said, “and already, some of the best baseball players in the world come from there. “Sammy Sosa, Albert Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero, Many Ramirez, David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Bartolo Colon, Moises Alou, Alex Rodriguez, Damaso Marte, Alfonso Soriano, Jose Reyes; the list goes on and on. Of the international players on Major League rosters last year, 75 percent came from the Dominican Republic.” Unfortunately, most rarely obtain even a high school degree, Farrell said. Players in the Dominican Republic can sign professional contracts at 16 ½, so education is usually bypassed in pursuit of the dream of success in baseball. “We want to provide young baseball players with an option by preparing them both academically AND athletically to succeed,” he said. “The addition of some of these players on U.S. college teams will be the equivalent of getting a 7-foot center in basketball, or a running back who does a 4.2 sixty. One solid hitter and fielder in a lineup could be the difference between a good college team and a great one.” The academy will be able to take gifted baseball players and prepare them academically for the college classroom. The academic program will exceed the minimum requirements for college eligibility now required by the NCAA. “We not only want them to succeed in college, we want them to excel,” Farrell said. |