From MLB.com:
WASHINGTON — Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was kidnapped in Venezuela on Wednesday night, according to multiple reports from the player’s home country.
The Nats have not commented on or confirmed the reports.
Ramos, who was playing for Tigres de Aragua in Venezuela’s Winter League, was taken from his home in Santa Ines by four armed gunmen on Wednesday evening, said Kathe Vilera, the Tigres’ spokeswoman, through the team’s Twitter account.
These kidnappings are almost always economically motivated, and with luck that will help Ramos’ chances of eventually being released unharmed. Major League Baseball has seen some family members of players targeted in the past, famously Ugueth Urbina’s mother was kidnapped for three months in 2005, but I can’t remember a player ever being directly kidnapped. It’s a horrible ordeal, and no doubt on the minds of almost every MLB player residing in certain parts of South America.
Given the proclivity of kidnapping in certain parts of Latin America where many baseball players and their families live and the combination of obvious wealth and high profile of MLB players, this horrible type of thing certainly has the potential to become a trend. I don’t know if the Nationals or Major League Baseball would intervene in any kind of ransom demands (many companies are willing to), but their reaction to Ramos’ kidnapping could be very important.
Let’s hope he returns home safely.
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5 Responses to Nationals Catcher Wilson Ramos Kidnapped
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TIQ IQ
I understand the Yankees have dispatched A-Rod and AJ to investigate the disappearance.
Not cool! A man’s life is quite literally in the balance here. I don’t think any joking is appropriate surrounding this topic.
That said I was wondering if this was going to be talked about here. What a terrible situation, and a tough one to handle. Paying any kind of ransom demand only makes the likelihood of more kidnappings go up. Yet not paying could lead to the death of this young man. Terrible situation all the way around. Let’s just hope he comes back home safely.
Such a tough situation. On the one hand, if Ramos’ kidnappers ask for a ransom, it would be tragic not to pay. On the other hand, by paying the ransom, we might see this trend of MLB player kidnappings may rise. I would have to assume that whatever ransom they ask for will be met.
Yeah, the economist in me worries about this a lot. Companies routinely either pay ransomers for their employees or buy expensive kidnapping insurance, which only increases the rate of kidnapping. Baseball players are so high profile that once the precedent gets established, a lot of players and their families could suffer.
I will be praying for him and his family