Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos, a player many consider to be a vital part of the young nucleus for the Nats was abducted outside his home by armed gunmen Wednesday evening in his native Venezuela.
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League vice president Domingo Alvarez says the abductors have not made contact with Ramos’ family and not ransom demands have been made thus far. Alvarez also mentioned that this is the first time an MLB player has been abducted in his country however relatives and friends of players have been abducted for ransom in the past.
One of the more mainstream cases of a player’s relative being abducted came back in November of 2009 when 56-year-old mother of Victor Zambrano, was abducted and later rescued in a commando style raid.
The Washington Nationals released a statement regarding the ongoing situation surrounding Ramos…
Our foremost concern is with Wilson Ramos and his family and our thoughts are with them at this time. Major League Baseball’s Department of Investigations is working with the appropriate authorities on this matter. Both Major League Baseball and the Washington Nationals have been instructed to make no further comment.
As a rookie in 2011, Ramos hit .267 with 15 home runs and 52 RBIs in 113 games. He also threw out 19 of 67 runners attempting to steal a base, a 28 percent success rate that ranked third among qualifying catchers in the National League.
Ref: ESPN, USA Today, ESPN (image)