The Cleveland Guardians confirmed the death of 20-year-old minor league catcher Andrés Meléndez.
Originally from Venezuela, Meléndez died Thursday in Miami.
Team sources said Meléndez died suddenly and his cause of death wasn’t disclosed.
BREAKING REPORT: Cleveland Guardians Player Andrés Meléndez DIES SUDDENLY AT AGE 20 – Cause of Death Not Disclosed…
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) December 18, 2021
R.I.P. Andrés Meléndez. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, loved ones, teammates and those who knew him. pic.twitter.com/ehyrF7C7df
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) December 17, 2021
https://twitter.com/AdamBaldwin/status/1472045473993150465
We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Andrés Meléndez.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones. Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/GgmureOQCz
— Lynchburg Hillcats (@LynHillcats) December 17, 2021
Minor League Baseball mourns the sudden passing of @CleGuardians catching prospect Andrés Meléndez: https://t.co/2trlQNy31Y pic.twitter.com/pWrAMRzySf
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) December 17, 2021
WKYC noted:
The Cleveland Guardians say minor league catcher Andrés Meléndez died Thursday in Miami. He was 20.
The team said Meléndez died suddenly. There was no immediate word on the cause of death.
The club released a statement saying, in part:
“Andrés is remembered by his teammates and friends as a positive, respectful, and thoughtful young man with a beautiful smile who had a profound impact on others. He will be greatly missed.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, loved ones, teammates and those that knew him.”
The Venezuela native began his career with Milwaukee’s organization in 2018. He spent two seasons between the Brewers’ Dominican Summer and Arizona League teams before he was acquired in a trade by Cleveland in 2019.
Meléndez spent the 2021 season at Low-A Lynchburg, appearing in 73 games. He hit .247 with eight home runs and 46 RBIs while throwing out 33% of would-be base stealers.
Guardians 20-year-old prospect Andres Melendez passed away today. The cause of death has not yet been released. Awful, awful news.
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) December 17, 2021
https://twitter.com/themood2020/status/1471787263029829633
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