Wilson Ramos kidnapped

Wilson Ramos (2010)

Wilson Ramos, the catching prospect the Twins traded during the 2010 season for Matt Capps, was kidnapped today in his native Venezuela.

Obviously, this is not a good thing for Ramos, the Washington Nationals (his current club) or for the myriad major league players who live, are playing winter ball or have family in Venezuela.

The Twins have long been active in Venezuela, but, as Seth Stohs notes, they've pulled back some in recent years because of the violence (and, I assume, the anti-U.S. politics of Hugo Chavez). I'm not sure exactly who the Twins have playing winter ball there this year, but I'm sure there are several prospects.

Addendum: LaVelle Neal a while back list the Twins prospects (and major leaguers) slated to play winter ball. A dozen of them were to play in Venezuela, including Jose Mijares, Joe Benson and Rene Tosoni. Players come and go from winter teams, and I have no idea who exactly is there. Mijares, like Ramos, is from Venezuela.