Reyes Moronta, former MLB pitcher, dies in traffic accident at age 31

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Reyes Moronta died in a traffic accident on Sunday, the MLB Players’ Association announced on Monday. He was 31 years old.

Moronta was a major league pitcher for six years, mostly with the San Francisco Giants. The Mexican League, where Moronta pitched this season with the León Braves, confirmed his death on July 11. Moronta was released by León on July 25.

According to several reports, the traffic accident occurred in the Dominican Republic, his home country.

La Liga Mexicana de Beisbol deeply laments the downfall of former Jugor Reyes Moronta.

We all imposed punishment on our family, friends and ex-comrades

Rest in peace pic.twitter.com/1VeWXf52g8

— Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (@LigaMexBeis) July 29, 2024

Moronta was signed by the Giants as an international free agent in 2010 and made his MLB debut in 2017. His best seasons were 2018 and 2019, when he posted a combined 2.66 ERA over 121 2/3 innings. He was outrighted from San Francisco’s roster in 2021 and played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022.

He played twice for the Los Angeles Angels last season. Moronta had a career ERA of 3.05 in 177 MLB games. He was from Santiago, Dominican Republic, and was the youngest of five children.

In a 2019 Yahoo Sports profile, he reflected on being the first player from his small town of 700 to make it to the major leagues.

“I have to remember that I come from a very poor town with very few resources,” Moronta told Yahoo. “There are a lot of kids in my town who played baseball, were very talented and never made it to the big leagues. So I’m the role model they can follow. To make it.”

(Photo: Hunter Martin/Getty Images)