Former MLB reliever Reyes Moronta, who last played in the big leagues last season, passed away on the announcement of Bravos de Leon who play in the Mexican league. According to a report from Mike Rodriguez, Moronta’s tragic death occurred following a traffic accident that occurred in the evening. Moronta, who pitched for the Giants, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Angels in a major league career that spanned parts of six seasons, was only 31 years old.
Moronta began his professional career in September 2010 at just 17 years old, when he signed with the Giants out of the Dominican Republic for a $15,000 bonus. The righty made his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League the following year and immediately impressed with a 2.13 ERA in 42 1/3 innings of work. He made his stateside debut the following year and slowly worked his way up through the minor leagues before making his MLB debut with San Francisco in 2017 at the age of 24. That first cup of coffee at the big league level lasted just seven appearances, but he pitched to a solid 2.70 ERA in 6 2/3 innings of work while striking out 37.9% of the batters he faced.
That solid showing in his first taste of big league action earned Moronta a big role for the Giants heading into the 2018 season, and over the next two years the righty emerged as one of the most dominant forces in the club’s bullpen with a 2.66 ERA (50% better than league average in ERA+) as he struck out a career-best 29.3% of opponents, more than making up for a 13.8% walk rate. Unfortunately, injury woes began to derail what was a promising start to Moronta’s young career when he underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder in September of 2019.
The right-hander missed the entire 2020 campaign while rehabilitating following that surgery and returned to the mound in 2021 to begin his age-28 campaign. The injury bug continued to bite Moronta, however, and he was sidelined after just four innings of work with an elbow that cost him most of the 2021 season. Moronta was waived by the Giants late in the year and designated a free agent following the season, eventually signing with the Dodgers on a minor league deal before the 2022 campaign. Moronta didn’t pitch as well in his age-29 season as he had earlier in his career with the Giants, but he still pitched solidly for the Dodgers and Diamondbacks that year with a combined 4.30 ERA in 37 2/3 innings. of work. , as he struck out 23.6% of opponents that year.
Moronta returned to free agency after being non-tendered by Arizona that season. He signed with the World Series champion Rangers on a minor league deal and pitched in camp with the club in the spring, but was released shortly before the start of the season after not making the roster. That allowed him to continue with the Angels on a minor league deal last May, and he made two appearances at the club’s big league level last year before finishing the season in Triple-A with a 3.32 ERA and 28.4% strikeout rate. in 40 2/3 innings of work. Moronta did not sign with the club in collegiate ball this winter, instead joining the Bravos de Leon where he struck out 24 batters in 19 2/3 innings of work this year. Overall, Moronta posted a 3.05 ERA in 170 games during his MLB career while tallying 202 strikeouts and recording three saves.
Those of us at MLBTR send our condolences to Moronta’s friends, family, former teammates and coaches, and all who mourned his tragic passing.
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