CARACAS, Venezuela — Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was abducted by gunmen Wednesday from his home.
Ramos, 24, was taken away in an SUV by four armed men in Santa Ines, in central Carabobo state, a spokeswoman for the catcher’s Venezuelan League team said through her Twitter account.
“This is sad, worrisome and true that Wilson Ramos has been kidnapped,” spokeswoman Kathe Vilera said.
Ramos was playing winter ball with the Aragua Tigers.
A person close to Ramos’ family, who asked not to be named for safety reasons, said the catcher was at home with his father and brothers when several men “entered the house and took him away.”
“As of this hour, there has been no contact (between the kidnapper and Ramos’ family),” the person said.
Ramos is considered one of Washington’s young building blocks as the team tries to become a contender in the NL East. As a rookie in 2011, he hit .267 with 15 homers 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 NL.
In Venezuela, which is home to dozens of major-league players, the families of wealthy athletes are periodically targeted by kidnappers in hopes of a hefty ransom. This appears to be the first case of a major-league player being kidnapped.
In June 2009, then-Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba’s 11-year-old son and brother-in-law were kidnapped and released a day later.
Reyes meets with Marlins
MIAMI — All-star shortstop Jose Reyes, who won the NL batting title last season with a .337 average and led the majors with 16 triples despite two stints on the disabled list with the Mets, toured the Marlins’ new ballpark as a potential pillar for the franchise.
“We’re interested in making our team better,” team president David Samson said. “To be interested, you have to be interesting, and you have to meet and get to know each other.”
The Marlins are also pursuing left-hander Mark Buehrle, who took the ballpark tour Tuesday, Samson said.
Footnotes.
After five World Series rings, seven AL pennants and five all-star appearances, 40-year-old catcher Jorge Posada said his career with the Yankees is over and added he probably will wait until January or early February to make up his mind whether to join another team.
• The Diamondbacks signed infielder Willie Bloomquist to a two-year, $3.8 million deal. Bloomquist, who hit .266 with four homers and 26 RBIs in 97 games last season, became a free agent Nov. 1 when he turned down his end of a $1.1 million mutual option.
The Associated Press
