Former MLB Stars Luis Valbuena, 33, & Jose Castillo, 37, Dead After Tragic Car Crash In Venezuela

The MLB has been rocked by the tragic news that two former players, Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo, were killed in a car accident in Venezuela on Dec. 6. The men were just 33 and 37, respectively.

Luis Valbuena, 37, and Jose Castillo, 37, are dead after being involved in a car crash in Venezuela on Dec. 6. The men, who formerly played in the MLB, were teammates on the Cardenales de Lara baseball team in Venezuela, and the accident happened after they were traveling following a game. Their car hit a rock and careened off the road, according to the Orange County Register. Another former MLB player, Carlos Rivero, was reportedly driving the car at the time of the accident, but was lucky enough to survive the horrific crash.

“We are saddened by the tragic news that Luis Valbuena and former major leaguer Jose Castillo have died in a car accident,” the MLB tweeted from its official account. Luis started his MLB career in 2005 as part of the Seattle Mariners organization, but he wasn’t moved up from their minor league team until Sept. 2008. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians in December of that year, then traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011. He moved over to the Chicago Cubs in April 2012, and after playing on their minor league team for a bit, he moved up to the main roster in June 2012. The Cubs traded him to the Astros in jan. 2015, where he played first and third base. In 2017, he signed a two year contract with the Los Angeles Angels, but was released in Aug. 2018.

“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former Angel Luis Valbuena and former MLB infielder Jose Castillo,” The Angels’ official account wrote on Twitter. “Our thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones during this time of grief.” Meanwhile, Jose played from 2004 to 2008 on the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco giants and Houston Astros.