Former Astros Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo killed in car accident

Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo, both former players for the Houston Astros, died in a vehicle accident in Yarucuy, Venezuela.

According to the Orange County Register, the vehicle struck a rock that had rolled into the road. The car was reportedly driven by the driver of former Arizona Diamondback player Carlos Rivera. Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo died in the accident, while Rivera and the driver survived. The one-time Astros played in a game for the Cardenales de Lara team, of the Venezuelan Winter League the prior evening.

According to a report, four men have been detained under the suspicion of causing the wreck for the purpose of robbing the occupants of the vehicle. The four suspects arrested were in possession of property belonging to Valbuena and Castillo.

Jose Castillo, 37, played in the big leagues from 2004-08 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants and ended his career in the majors with the Astros. He had a career batting average of .254 knocking 39 HRs in his 592 appearances. The infielder has bounced around in the Mexican and Venezuelan baseball leagues the past ten years.

Luis Valbuena, 33, played eleven years in the majors, most recently for the Los Angeles Angels and was widely known for his signature bat flip. His contract with the Angels ended this past season, and he was a free agent. He also had stints with the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians, and the Chicago Cubs. Valbuena played for the Astros in the 2015-16 seasons.

In 2015, Valbuena played a pivotal role for the Astros in reaching the postseason as a wild card team. That year he batted .224 and hit a career-high 25 HRs. Valbuena was a versatile infielder, playing mostly third base, but occasionally filling in at first and second. His slash line was .226/.310/.394 over the 1011 games he appeared in over his career.

Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo were well liked on and off the field and will be missed by their former teammates, managers and fans alike.