Yankees prospect Acevedo dies in car wreck

Yankees Minor Leaguer Sandy Acevedo was killed in a car accident in his native Dominican Republic on Saturday night, the team said. Acevedo was 18 years old.

Prior to their Sunday game against the Rays, the Yankees held a moment of silence in memory of the third baseman. Acevedo had not appeared in any Minor League games since signing with New York as an international free agent last July 6, his 18th birthday.

MLB.com's David Adler cited a 2015 Scout.com interview in which Donny Rowland, New York's director of international scouting, said of discovering the infielder, "Acevedo was one of the hitters that we brought in to face [pitching prospect Yoan Lopez, now the D-backs' No. 8 prospect], and he absolutely owned him in three out of four at-bats and crushed stuff.

"That's where our staff became sold on this guy. 'We like the pitcher, but who is the hitter?'"

The Yankees held a moment of silence today for Sandy Acevedo, a minor league INF killed in a car accident last night in the DR at age 18

- Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) April 24, 2016

According to the Yankees media guide, Acevedo hailed from Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic, and was expected to make his Minor League debut this season.

Acevedo's death is the latest in a series of road accidents that have claimed the lives of young prospects in the Dominican Republic. In the span of six days in January, 23-year-old Astros pitching prospect Jose Rosario and 20-year-old Orioles infield prospect Ramon Ramirez were killed in separate motorcycle accidents. Former top Cardinals prospect Oscar Taveras died in a car crash in Puerto Plata on Oct. 27, 2014.