Remembering Yordano Ventura: Another MLB star gone too soon

Tragedy has struck Major League Baseball for the second time in six months, as Yordano Ventura dies at the age of 25 in a car accident.

For the second time since September, the baseball world has been rocked by a shocking tragedy, Yordano Ventura of the Kansas City Royals is dead at the age of 25 after a Sunday morning car crash in the Dominican Republic. Like Jose Fernandez, who died in a boat crash or Ventura’s good friend Oscar Taveras who also died in a car accident in October 2014, the Kansas City Royals fire-baller was a bright light for the game of baseball.

In his three short years in Major League Baseball, Ventura squeezed in an entire career’s worth of moments and memories. There were, of course, detractors, who bristled at his emotional outbursts on the mound, but his actions were fueled by a passion for the game and a competitive that coursed through every cell in his body. Ventura didn’t so much pitch but played a game of “here it comes, see if you can hit it” in every single at-bat.

The headaches that came with Ventura’s recklessness on the mound were balanced out by the unmistakable talent and an obvious desire to become a better pitcher, but more importantly, a better human being and example on and off the diamond. As Ventura struggled through his second full season in the big leagues, he latched on to fellow Dominican pitcher Johnny Cueto, soaking in everything the veteran could teach him in a few short months.

Standing barely more than 6-foot even and hardly 190 pounds soaking wet, Ventura threw an explosive fastball that touched 100 mph with relative ease. A body that small should not be able to throw that hard or back it up with a wicked curve and changeup, always finishing his delivery with a kick and a flourish. There was just so much more in store for the 25-year-old right-hander who had already won 38 games.

Ventura’s legacy will inevitably include the ugly brawls with Brett Lawrie, Adam Eaton, Chris Sale, and Manny Machado. Those uglier moments for a still maturing player are etched in our memories, for better or worse. They do matter, but they should not define the Yordano Ventura we remember and immortalize for future generations of baseball fans. Instead, let’s try to remember the bright-eyed rookie throwing a gem in the World Series while honoring Taveras with initials scrawled on his cap, the man with a penchant for stepping up at the right time. Ventura was destined for greatness.

Baseball is not what makes this loss painful. It is tragic when any young adult is taken before their time, especially one so full of life ready to take in and enjoy the world. A day after losing the 2014 World Series, Ventura played softball with kids in Kansas City. That is the type of energy that this young ace brought to life. Everything was going to be good in his world, loss or not because he lived with a passion that is too rare these days.

The deaths of young athletes like Yordano Ventura or Jose Fernandez make no sense, and they can never be anticipated. We may never know what was going through Ventura’s head as he sped down a country road in the Dominican Republic, hundreds of miles from the bright lights of a major-league stadium. The world was in front of him, still opening itself to the young man who happily embraced the moniker “Ace” Ventura. With so many opportunities still presenting themselves to a player who rose from humble beginnings, it may have been too easy to fall into an easy sense of invincibility, pressing the gas pedal down a little too heavily. Slow down, buckle up, and remember that life is fragile.

The saddest thing about the deaths of young athletes like Ventura, Fernandez, or Taveras is that they were utterly avoidable. Baseball should not be holding another silent vigil outside a dark stadium for the third time in short succession. Ventura pitched multiple games in his short career with initials of fallen brothers on his cap, and will now join them this season on caps around the league. All leave voids in their clubhouses with teammates attempting to cope and pick up the pieces, in their families, in their hometowns, and communities.

The deaths are hard to swallow because we have all seen Taveras, Fernandez, and Ventura at their best, excelling in an easy way that points to so much more to come. They were positive influences in the community and larger-than-life presences who overcame dire circumstances to get where they were in life. Ventura leaves this world as a fearless, exuberant, talent gone too soon. To this athlete dying young, you will not be forgotten.