Twins minor leaguer Yorman Landa dies in car accident in Venezuela
Twins prospect Yorman Landa, 22, died in a car crash on Friday night in his native Venezuela, the team announced.
Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports Landa was in a car driven by his father that struck a fallen tree on a rainy night, and that he was the only fatality among four or five passengers.
“The Minnesota Twins are deeply saddened by the heartbreaking loss of Yorman Landa early this morning in Venezuela,” said Twins executive Derek Falvey in a statement. “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.”
Landa was signed at age 16 out of Venezuela by the Twins, and recovered from a torn labrum in 2014, clocking in at 102 miles per hour from the mound in the Florida State League All-Star Game in June, according to the Pioneer Press.
In his minor league career, Landa went 14-13 with a 2.66 ERA in 100 outings, 23 of them starts. He transitioned to a bullpen role this season and had an invitation to Spring Training with the Twins after going unselected in the Rule 5 draft.
