Former Major League Baseball pitcher Reyes Moronta has died at the age of 31 following an ATV accident in the Dominican Republic.
According to Dominican outlet El Pregonero, Moronta died Sunday, July 28 after he crashed the four-wheeler in front of his father’s home in Villa Gonzalez, outside Santiago.
MLB insider Héctor Gómez confirmed the news with “a person very close” to the late pitcher, sharing a photo of Moronta’s knocked-over ATV in the aftermath of the incident. Gómez reported Moronta was “arriving home” at the time of his death.
The Major League Baseball Players Association mourned the loss of Moronta — who played for four different teams during his six-year career in the MLB.
Hollywood mourned many celebrities in 2024. Speed Racer star Christian Oliver (born Christian Klepser) died at the age of 51 during a fatal plane crash on January 5. Oliver was traveling home from a Caribbean vacation with his two daughters — Madita and Annik, whom he shared with wife Jessica Klepser — on January 4. […]
“The player community was shocked and saddened to learn of Reyes Moronta’s death in a traffic accident Sunday,” the MLBPA shared via X on Monday, July 29. “We send our heartfelt sympathies to his family and friends in his native Dominican Republic and throughout the game.”
The Mexican Baseball League, where Moronta had signed in May, also expressed their condolences via social media.
“We join in the grief that overwhelms his family, friends and former colleagues,” the league shared via X. “Rest in peace.”
Moronta signed a deal with the Mexican Baseball League’s Bravos de León, where he appeared in 19 games for the team before being released on July 25. In a commemorative post via Instagram, the club said they were sending “a hug up to heaven.”
After signing with the San Francisco Giants in 2010, Moronta bopped around the minor leagues before being added to the Giants’ 40-man roster after the 2016 season.
Football fans have mourned a heartbreaking amount of NFL stars in 2024. In February, Tony Hutson passed away at age 48, according to an obituary shared at the time. No cause of death was given. “Lost one of my favorite teammates and great friends in Tony Hutson last night,” Hutson’s former teammate Randall Godfrey wrote […]
During the 2017 season, Moronta pitched in seven games for the Giants, splitting his time between the big leagues and the minors.
The following year, Moronta emerged as one of the Giants’ best relief pitchers, appearing in 69 games with a season-ending ERA of 2.49. Moronta was also a great asset the following season, appearing in a total of 56 games for the Giants.
Moronta suffered a shoulder injury in September 2019 and missed the entire 2020 season before returning to the Giants for the following season, but only appeared in four games.
The final two years of his MLB career were spent with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Angels, appearing in a total of 41 games.
