Ex-major leaguers Valbuena, Castillo killed in car crash
Former major leaguers Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo were killed in a car crash in Venezuela caused by highway bandits who then robbed them, officials said Friday.
Valbuena, 33, and Castillo, 37, died late Thursday when their SUV crashed as it tried to veer around an object on the road, Yaracuy state Gov. Julio Leon Heredia said on his Twitter account. Officials said some bandits place or throw objects on highways to force vehicles to stop or crash so they can rob the occupants.
Heredia said four people have been detained after being found with property of the athletes.
Castillo, who played for the Giants in 2008, and Valbuena were teammates on the Cardenales de Lara team in the Venezuelan winter league and were returning from a game in the capital when the crash occurred en route to the city of Barquisimeto.
Third baseman Carlos Rivero was in the car and survived, according to the website beisbolplay.
Valbuena, an 11-year major leaguer, hit .199 with nine homers and 33 RBIs in 96 games this year for the Los Angeles Angels, who released him Aug. 7.
Valbuena hit .226 with 114 home runs over from 2008-18 in stints with the Seattle, Cleveland, the Chicago Cubs, Houston and the Angels.
“I will miss Luis’ banter, smile, genuine love for his teammates, and, of course, the bat flips,” Astros manager AJ Hinch said. “He was a beloved person whether he was on our team or across the field.”
Castillo played in the majors from 2004-08 with Pittsburgh, the Giants and Houston. He had a .254 average with 39 home runs. Briefly: Former Angels righthander Garrett Richards signed a two-year, $15.5 million deal with the Padres . ... Right-hander Merrill Kelly, who has pitched in Korea for the past four seasons, agreed to a twoyear, $5.5 million contract with the Diamondbacks . ... Former Giants outfielder Jarrett Parker reportedly agreed to a minorleague deal with the Angels.