One of Baseball's Rising Stars Is Dead at 20

He had a promising future ahead of him, but after sustaining severe injuries in a boating incident last month, Seattle Mariners pitching prospect Victor Sanchez died in his home country of Venezuela, ESPN reported Sunday.

He was 20 years old.

"The Seattle Mariners are saddened to learn of the passing of Victor Sanchez," Mariners executive vice president and general manager Jack Zduriencik said in a statement. "Victor was a tremendous young man and a wonderful teammate. He was a very talented player who was close to fulfilling his promise as a major leaguer. He will be missed by his teammates and the coaches and staff at the Mariners."

Sanchez signed with the Mariners as an international free agent in 2011, when he was only 16 years old, and was ranked as the Mariners' 11th-best prospect by MLB.com last year.

Sanchez was struck in the head by a motorboat propeller while swimming at a Venezuelan beach on Feb. 14, reportedly suffering a double skull fracture and brain hematoma, ESPN noted.

The Mariners commemorated Sanchez on Facebook Sunday.

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