Former Phillies prospect Gonzalez killed in crash
Former Phillies right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez was killed in a car crash in his native Cuba on Thursday, according to reports.
Gonzalez, 31, died in a traffic accident in Havana, sources told El Nuevo Herald.
“The Phillies are saddened to learn about the passing of former pitcher Miguel Alfredo González,” the team said in a statement posted on Twitter Friday afternoon. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”
The former Philadelphia pitcher had not pitched in the Minors since 2015.
Gonzalez signed with the Phillies in 2013, inking a three-year, $12 million deal after arm concerns lowered his initial offer down from $60 million. He appeared in six Major League games and 37 Minor League contests from 2014-15, going 0-6 with a 3.57 ERA in 63 innings in the Minors.
The Havana native made his Major League debut on Sept. 3, 2014 and appeared in 5 1/3 innings for Philadelphia out of the bullpen over six games. Before that, he saw time with Class A Advanced Clearwater, Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley, going 0-4 with a 3.11 ERA in 31 outings. He played in just six games in 2015 while dealing with arm issues before the Phillies released him in March 2016 at the end of Spring Training.
Gonzalez was the 185th player born in Cuba to reach the Majors. Before joining the Phillies, he was a rising star in Cuba until he was caught trying to defect in 2012. He managed to escape the island a year later and eventually moved to Mexico.
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