TAMPA, Fla. — Orioles minor leaguer Luis Guevara has died after he was involved in a jet ski crash in Sarasota on Sunday, the ballclub announced. He was 19 years old.

“Luis was a beloved member of our organization, and we are devastated following his tragic passing,” Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and teammates and we ask for their continued privacy during this difficult time.”

The Orioles signed Guevara, an infielder from Tinaco, Venezuela, as an international free agent in January 2023. After spending his first two seasons in the Dominican Summer League, this was Guevara’s first year in the United States. He played 24 games with Low-A Delmarva, two with Double-A Chesapeake and four with the Orioles’ rookie-ball affiliate in the Florida Complex League based in Sarasota.

Guevara was one of the four people involved in a jet ski crash Sunday off Lido Key, an island west of Sarasota, that sent two people to the hospital, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The crash happened around 8 p.m. Sunday and involved two personal watercraft vehicles colliding head-on.

Each jet ski was carrying two people, and all four fell into the water after the crash, requiring help from bystanders to get back to shore. The driver and passenger on the same watercraft vehicle were the ones who suffered minor injuries, while the two people on the other jet ski were the ones hospitalized. Both the FWC, which is investigating the incident, and the Sarasota Police Department responded to the crash. The commission has not released the names of those involved. At least one other Orioles minor leaguer was involved, according to the team, but it’s unclear if the other person who was hospitalized is a member of the organization. The ballclub’s rookie ball team in the FCL plays at Ed Smith Stadium Complex, also the Orioles’ spring training home in Sarasota. The Orioles canceled their FCL games against the Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers on Monday and Tuesday “due to the circumstances,” a team spokesperson said.

The FCL is where many Orioles prospects begin their professional careers after being drafted. The league presents a taste of professional baseball — one with a shorter season and a focus on instruction — before players traditionally start their climb up the minor league ladder in hopes of making it to the major leagues.

Guevara signed with the Orioles when he was 16 years old, which is typical for international prospects. Under Elias and Koby Perez, the organization’s vice president of international scouting and operations, the Orioles have invested more in Latin America than they did under previous regimes. Guevara was part of that in 2023 when the club highlighted his speed and switch-hitting ability, which they said gave him “excellent leadoff hitter makeup.”

In the DSL, Guevara hit .297 with a .786 OPS while stealing 36 bases in 84 games. He opened this season in Low-A, filled in for a few games in Chesapeake, returned to Delmarva earlier this month and then was sent down to Florida to join the Orioles’ FCL team last week. Guevara, who is listed at 5 feet 8 and 167 pounds, was hitting .235 with a .697 OPS this season.

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