This archive report was first published on 14 January 2020.
On January 12, 2020, the baseball world was shocked by the news of Fausto Segura's tragic passing in a motorcycle accident in the Dominican Republic.
Segura, a 23-year-old pitching prospect, had signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals in July 2017.
He had shown promise in his minor league career, going 2-0 with a 3.21 ERA in 17 relief appearances for Auburn in the Class-A New York-Penn League in 2019, striking out 33 batters and walking 21 in 28 innings.
The accident occurred in Segura's hometown of Barahona, about 115 miles west of the capital Santo Domingo, according to Dominican baseball reporter Hector Gomez.
"The Washington Nationals are extremely saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Fausto Segura," the club said in a statement. "He was beloved by his teammates, coaches, coordinators and everyone he came in contact with throughout our organization. We extend our deepest sympathies to Fausto's family, friends and loved ones in their time of grief."
Segura's death was met with an outpouring of condolences from the baseball community, with Gomez tweeting, "Fausto Segura worked very hard every day to achieve his dream of reaching MLB and being able to help his family out of poverty."
