Victor Sanchez, Former Mariners Pitching Prospect, Dies at Age 20

Former Seattle Mariners pitching prospect Victor Sanchez died Saturday due to injuries suffered in a boating accident in February that resulted in a fractured skull after a boat propellor hit him in the head.

Per Greg Johns of MLB.com, "Rafa Nieves, Sanchez's agent, confirmed the news Saturday night to MLB.com. Sanchez was 20 years old and had been in the Mariners minor league system since signing as an international free agent at 16."

General manager Jack Zduriencik released a statement via the team's Twitter account:

Mariners prospect Patrick Kivlehan expressed his condolences for Sanchez on Twitter:

Sanchez was swimming in Carupano, Venezuela, on February 14 when the propeller struck him, according to Nick Eaton of SeattlePI.com. He was showing brain activity as of a month ago, though he was ultimately unable to recover from the injuries sustained in the incident.

Sanchez spent three years in Seattle's farm system. In 2014 he went 7-6 with a 4.19 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 97 strikeouts in 124.2 innings and 23 starts for the Jackson Generals, a Double-A team. In his minor league career, he was 19-14 with a 3.43 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 245 strikeouts in 323 innings pitched.