While many Phillies fan were preparing for the team’s first game seven in franchise history, there were likely many in the organization in mourning ahead of the game.
On Tuesday, at 4:49 p.m. EST, Darvinson Rojas Sánchez, a Venezuelan reporter, shared some sombering news.
El prospecto de los Philadelphia Phillies, Alexeis Azuaje, de 21 años, falleció en un accidente de tránsito en la autopista Charallave-Ocumare del Tuy, a la altura de Alfareria Continental C.A. de Matalinda, en el estado Miranda.
El segunda base de los Clearwater Threshers… pic.twitter.com/fq8idZrF7n
— Darvinson Rojas Sánchez (@DarvinsonRojas) October 24, 2023
Sánchez reports that Phillies prospect Alexeis Azuaje, along with two others, was killed when their Ford Fiesta collided with a utility pole. A fourth person was injured in the accident.
Azuaje, 21, had originally signed as a middle infield prospect with the Phillies in the 2018 International Signing period.
He had been 16 at the time of his signing with Philadelphia.
The second basemen was ranked as a top-30 prospect in the system during the 2022 season and posted some strong numbers (career slash line of .292/.348/.474) but was never able to advance past Clearwater due to injuries and other circumstances outside his control.
He played in 2019, but had nowhere to play during the pandemic in 2020 when the minor league season was completely cancelled. He returned in 2021 but did not get activated until late June, presumably due to visa issues similar to the issues Simon Muzziotti experienced.
After only getting to play half the season in 2021, Azuaje suffered an injury in 2022 that sidelined him for a week and then, just a few weeks following his return, his season ended in August due to injury. He never got to play in 2023 due to his injured status.
