Former MLB Players Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo Were Killed in a Car Accident in Venezuela Which May Have Been Caused By Thieves
The car crash that claimed the lives of two former Major League Baseball players on Thursday in Venezuela may have been a criminal act, and officials are reportedly looking into whether a gang of thieves engineered the wreck in order to rob the pair.
Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo, who were teammates in a Venezuelan winter baseball league, were traveling in a white Toyota Fortuner with teammate Carlos Rivero when the vehicle suddenly slammed into a large rock in the middle of the road.
The rock is thought to have been purposely placed in the spot in hopes it would lead to an accident and allow those who orchestrated the trap to rob the vehicle’s occupants, Mexican newspaper El Universal reported, citing a preliminary report from authorities.
Some horrible, tragic news comes this morning from Venezuela as former MLB players Luis Valbuena (33) and Jose Casttillo (37) were killed in a car accident. It’s so sad that it seems like every offseason we have current or former players dying at such a young age. Their car hit a rock in the road and flipped over, killing them both in the crash. Of course because this is Venezuela, the incident is being investigated for criminal activity. People suspect that thieves caused the car to flip over and then robbed them. Roman Comancho, a Venezuelan reporter, sent out a tweet that I’ve got translated before:
It is far from being a traffic accident by some recklessness. Antisocials crossed stones along the way to steal them. After tipping over, even with the victims on the pavement, they steal their belongings.
Sketchy scary fucking shit. These countries down south are ridiculous with corruption and gangs and the cartel. There’s just no laws.
Castillo played five seasons in the majors, most recently for the Astros in ’08.
Valbuena was an 11 year veteran who most recently played for the Angels before getting cut in August. He hit 114 career homers for the Astros, Angels, Cubs, Indians, and Mariners. I think he’ll be most known for his incredible bat-flipping skills which he did any chance he could get.
