Earlier today ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez was arrested in Lee County, Florida, with a multitude of charges.
Passan’s initial tweet came earlier right before 12:30, containing some truly disturbing news.
Shortly after his initial report, Passan released additional details regarding Vaquez’s arrest.
The story certainly comes as a shock not only to Pirates fans, but baseball fans worldwide. In an interview with WTAE, Pirates pitcher Chris Archer explained while these are just allegations, he has a 14 year old sister which makes this case hit home with him. Archer also expressed how he hoped this all was not true.
Pirates president Frank Coonelly talked to the media in a statement regarding Vazquez earlier today. MLB.com’s Adam Berry posted this quote from Coonelly:
"“Today we were made aware of an active law enforcement investigation involving Felipe Vázquez and his subsequent arrest,” Pirates president Frank Coonelly said in a statement. “We take this matter, and these charges in particular, extremely seriously. We have informed the Commissioner’s Office of the investigation and arrest. The Commissioner’s Office will immediately place Felipe Vázquez on Administrative Leave (and, as a result, Restricted List) pursuant to the Joint MLB/MLBPA Policy.“We need to be respectful to all involved and the ongoing legal proceeding. As a result, the organization, our staff and players cannot comment any further at this time.”"
This adds to a growing list of disasters for the Pirates this year. This is not the only incident Vazquez has been involved in this season, however. Reliever Kyle Crick and Vazquez were involved in a locker room altercation earlier this month while on a road trip in San Francisco. The incident resulted in a broken finger for Crick. Crick was also involved in a scuffle with bullpen coach Euclides Rojas, ending in a three-game suspension for Rojas.
Regardless of the type of season Pittsburgh is having, this type of news is sickening. Based on the reports so far, it appears that Major League Baseball has made the right decision putting him on Administrative Leave.