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Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jan 22 2017 04:10 PM

25 years old, but a three year starter for KC. He had a temper shown in that '14 WS. Apparently died early this morning in Domenican Republic Last night, former Braves prospect Andy Marte was killed in a separate accident

Edgy MD Jan 22 2017 04:48 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

Edinson Volquez' brother was recently murdered too. Yikes.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jan 22 2017 05:42 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

Was KC's only losing pitcher in the '15 World Series.

Frayed Knot Jan 22 2017 06:59 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

It's not been a good last couple of years for young, Latin stars - or at least potential ones. - Ventura hadn't quite lived up to some of the hype coming up (the mentioned temper I think was part of that) but was still just 25 with 38 wins and three full ML seasons already under his belt. - Oscar Tavares got only 1/2 a ML season (StL) before his death, but he was a top-5 prospect across everyone's board prior to that and was just 22 y/o - Andy Marte (mentioned above) was older than the others and turned out to have a checkered ML career [oe: was erectly playing well in Korea], but years ago he was neck and neck with (and usually slightly ahead of) David Wright as the best 3B prospects in baseball. - and then of course there's Jose Fernandez That's all in barely over a two-year span and even then I get the feeling that I'm leaving one or two out. Not sure about the circumstances with Marte [oe: also a car wreck] but the other three all involved accidents and several if not all involved some combination of drugs + alcohol + recklessness. And while it's maybe too easy to stereotype, there's probably something to be said about acting out of control as a side effect of being young and suddenly rich while coming out of an environment that's mostly poor. Hopefully there will be someone from within that community who can start spreading the word about how dangerous it is to take the gift for granted rather than simply reveling too much in the toys it brings them. One of the things that stuck with me in the aftermath of Jose Fernandez's death was the four generations of women (grandmother, mother, fiancee, not-yet-born daughter) who not only won't have him around but also will benefit from just a fraction of the earning potential he still had left in his career.

Edgy MD Jan 22 2017 07:13 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

Frayed Knot wrote: That's all in barely over a two-year span and even then I get the feeling that I'm leaving one or two out. Ruben Quevedo dies last year, but that was of a heart attack, and he fizzled out before reaching the big money.

Ashie62 Jan 22 2017 07:48 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

Yordano Ventura hosted a memorial for Oscar Taveras when the latter was killed.

Frayed Knot Jan 22 2017 09:54 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

The one common detail about all these recent crashes (Ventura's, Marte's, and Fernandez's anyway, don't remember about Taveres) is that all were described as occurring "early Sunday morning", aka: late Saturday night.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 22 2017 10:11 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

Frayed Knot wrote: Not sure about the circumstances with Marte [oe: also a car wreck] but the other three all involved accidents and several if not all involved some combination of drugs + alcohol + recklessness. And while it's maybe too easy to stereotype, there's probably something to be said about acting out of control as a side effect of being young and suddenly rich while coming out of an environment that's mostly poor. [Puts on amateur sociologist hat] I'm not sure how much "poor" has to do with this behavior; "young" (as in 25 and younger) and "rich" as in unaccountably so, versus owning/running a company) probably is 75 percent of the equation (with the other 25 percent being "childless male"). [Takes off amateur sociologist hat; returns "It's 5 o'clock somewhere" trucker cap to rightful place]

G-Fafif Jan 22 2017 11:17 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

When the Mets were courting Pedro Martinez, I recall reading about how Met execs (I don't remember if it was just Omar or if Jeff and/or somebody else was on the trip) were frightened out of their minds by how fast Pedro was driving, blowing by traffic lights, the whole bit. If it's not exactly a cultural tic, that example of dangerous driving comes back to mind today. What a shame, whatever the explanations.

metirish Jan 23 2017 12:36 AM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

Terrible news

smg58 Jan 23 2017 12:39 AM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

Awful. Just awful.

Nymr83 Jan 23 2017 12:58 AM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

Frayed Knot wrote: The one common detail about all these recent crashes (Ventura's, Marte's, and Fernandez's anyway, don't remember about Taveres) is that all were described as occurring "early Sunday morning", aka: late Saturday night. I thought that too - Herm Edwards said it best in the long (but still enjoyable) speech he gave to the NFL Rookie Symposium a few years back: nothing good happens after midnight.

Ashie62 Jan 23 2017 01:17 AM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

A 2015 study by the World Health Organization found that the Dominican Republic had the highest traffic accident death rate in the Americas, with a rate of 29.3 per 100,000 inhabitants. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Frayed Knot Jan 23 2017 01:18 AM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Not sure about the circumstances with Marte [oe: also a car wreck] but the other three all involved accidents and several if not all involved some combination of drugs + alcohol + recklessness. And while it's maybe too easy to stereotype, there's probably something to be said about acting out of control as a side effect of being young and suddenly rich while coming out of an environment that's mostly poor. [Puts on amateur sociologist hat] I'm not sure how much "poor" has to do with this behavior; "young" (as in 25 and younger) and "rich" as in unaccountably so, versus owning/running a company) probably is 75 percent of the equation (with the other 25 percent being "childless male"). [Takes off amateur sociologist hat; returns "It's 5 o'clock somewhere" trucker cap to rightful place] Not being poor itself necessarily but going from a situation of never having anything resembling luxuries to suddenly being able to own a whole array of the biggest, baddest, most expensive toys around. At least I had to take intermediate steps from Volkswagen Rabbit and Ford Escort before I graduated to owing my current vast collection of high-powered sports cars. Add that to the usual attitude of the athlete who thinks that neither rules nor the laws of nature apply to him and it's a bad combo.

duan Jan 23 2017 10:49 AM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

If you look at this [url]http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/road-traffic-accidents/by-country/ I think its pretty clear there's fairly consistent co-relation between economic development and/or societal stability in relation to the volume of car deaths. There are of course outliers (the maldives for example as a series of islands don't have a huge capacity for traffic deaths), and similarly there are also cultural differences which impact - for example members of Islamic faith can often use the accepted tenet of predestination as an excuse for reckless behaviour - i.e.: Allah will call for you when it is your time & therefore you don't necessarily control the fact that driving at 100mph makes you more likely to have a crash In Ireland we had a huge cultural issue with drink driving, for a long time, in Rural ireland it was 'ok to have a few' and to drive home - there was a sense that there was no other way home and people 'knew the road well' and so on. It has taken a LONG time for that to be unwound, to the point where it isn't socially acceptable any more. As a result of that and improved safety in general we had seen a continued downward movement in road fatalities, even though Ireland's population continued to rise and more specifically we have a very young population which could give rise to more of the "young & male" behaviour cited above. Unfortunately that downward movement seems to have ended with recent years all finishing higher then 2012's low mark of 161 (that's the lowest since statistics became available in the the early 1960s). However one of most saddening items that i've seen recently was this "RSA reports rise in road deaths with 20% of victims not wearing a seatbelt" http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingne ... 67481.html So of the 187 people who've died in 2016 around 35 of them weren't wearing a seat belt ... the mind boggles ...

Centerfield Jan 23 2017 03:30 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

Come on kids. Stop drinking and driving. So sad.

Ashie62 Jan 23 2017 10:26 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

Yordano was not wearing a seat belt.

Frayed Knot Jan 24 2017 05:42 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

Not wearing a seatbelt alone probably wouldn't count, but there's a clause in Ventura's contract (and probably most others as well) which would take KC out of owing his heirs the remainder of his ~$20 mil contract if the cause of the accident is ruled to be due to his negligence, such as driving under the influence. There are also reports that he liked racing. "That was his weakness" said a coach. Ventura reportedly owned a collection of motorcycles but was killed while driving a custom jeep.

Centerfield Jan 24 2017 06:25 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

What a PR nightmare that would be. Not his relatives' fault that he was an idiot and raced himself to death. I would guess you are insured for that kind of thing no? Well not you, but KC anyway.

Frayed Knot Jan 24 2017 06:54 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

Well if KC [u:3g0g8vwe]DOES[/u:3g0g8vwe] wind up being required to pay then insurance would be funding most of it. If the circumstances let them off the hook for the remainder they may likely reach a settlement with the family for a portion of the total (thus avoiding the pr nightmare of which you speak) but could pretty much dictate terms of it since they wouldn't be obligated and it would now be all their own money.

Edgy MD Jan 24 2017 06:59 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

If you got a thing for high speeds AND a thing for Jeeps, you are a playing with dynamite.

Benjamin Grimm Jan 24 2017 07:00 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

$20M owed to Yordano Ventura likely hinges on his toxicology report The fate of the approximately $20 million remaining on pitcher Yordano Ventura’s contract likely will hinge on his toxicology report, according to major-league sources. The deal would remain fully guaranteed if Ventura’s death was determined to be accidental. The money would go to his estate, while the Royals — who had insurance on Ventura’s contract — would be reimbursed for an amount that is not yet clear, sources said. Ventura, who died Sunday in an automobile crash at age 25, was guaranteed $19.25 million over the next three seasons, plus a $1 million buyout on a club option. However, guaranteed contracts include exceptions that relate to player conduct, and Ventura’s deal includes a provision that will nullify payment for failure to perform due to injury or death resulting from driving a motorized vehicle while intoxicated, sources said. Royals general manager Dayton Moore said on Sunday that the toxicology results will not be known for three weeks, but that authorities in the Dominican Republic had told him that no alcohol was found at the scene. Another possibility emerged Monday night: An unconfirmed report out of the Dominican Republic said that looters descended upon Ventura while he was still alive and robbed him of his World Series ring and other belongings before leaving him to die. If an investigation determined that Ventura otherwise might have lived, it would strengthen the argument that his death was an accident and that the rest of his contract should be paid out to his estate. The Royals are in the beginning stages of discussing Ventura’s contract language with Major League Baseball, sources said. It is conceivable that the team could decide to pay a certain amount of money to Ventura’s estate even if the results of the toxicology report allowed the club to void the rest of his contract. Ventura was set to earn $3.25 million this season, $6.25 million in 2018 and $9.75 million in ’19, with a $1 million buyout on his $12 million club option for ’20, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. The five-year, $23 million extension that he signed in April 2015 also included a $12 million club option for ’21. The nature of any payout would be determined by Ventura’s will, presuming that he had one. If he did not have a will, the money would be distributed according to the laws of the Dominican Republic, sources said. The financial legacy of Ventura is different than that of late Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, who died in a boating accident last September and — unlike Ventura — was unsigned beyond 2016. A toxicology report determined that Fernandez was legally drunk and had cocaine in his system at the time of the crash. But it is not clear that Fernandez was driving the boat, and his estate is still in line to receive a $1.05 million accidental-death payment and $450,000 in life insurance through a player’s standard benefits package, sources said. Ventura’s estate could be eligible for the same payouts. He was the driver of his vehicle, according to reports, but it is not known whether the results of his toxicology report would affect the amount his estate received. The Royals, depending upon the amount of their insurance coverage, could redirect some of that money to the acquisition of another starting pitcher. The team previously had about $2.5 million to spend in 2017, and was seeking to add another reliever, sources said.

Nymr83 Jan 25 2017 04:09 AM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

for example members of Islamic faith can often use the accepted tenet of predestination as an excuse for reckless behaviour - i.e.: Allah will call for you when it is your time & therefore you don't necessarily control the fact that driving at 100mph makes you more likely to have a crash Not allowing women to drive probably hurts their numbers as well - you have the dual issue of men being more aggressive drivers and men being even more aggressive drivers when a woman is backseat driving.

Frayed Knot Jan 25 2017 04:37 AM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

Per capita auto death rates are huge on most of the Indian Reservations around this country. While they might not have the religious fatalism bent of Islam, at least some tribes decide anyway that seat-belts just aren't their thing which, when combined with the rates of poverty & un/under-employment plus some pretty brutal levels of alcohol consumption, makes for some pretty predictable results.

MFS62 Jan 25 2017 02:27 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

l l l l l l l << (my avatar) RIP Later

cooby Jan 25 2017 02:37 PM Re: Yordano Ventura dies in car crash

I thought of him too 62