Former C.R. Kernels pitcher Yorman Landa dies at age 22

CEDAR RAPIDS — Former Cedar Rapids Kernels pitcher Yorman Landa has died in a car accident in his native Venezuela, the Minnesota Twins announced Saturday morning. He was just 22.

Landa pitched for the Kernels in 13 games in the 2014 season, going 3-1 with a 2.88 earned run average. A shoulder injury prevented him from throwing more.

After rehabbing, he returned in 2015 and had a 2-1 record and 1.67 ERA in 15 games. This past season, he went 3-1 with a 1.25 earned run average for high-Class A Fort Myers, pitching in the Florida State League All-Star Game.

Landa was one of five occupants of a car his father was driving. On a dark, rainy night, the car hit a fallen tree in the road.

He was the only person killed.

'He was absolutely a guy that just enjoyed his job and enjoyed being around the guys,' Jake Mauer told the St. Paul Pioneer-Press. 'He always had a smile on his face.'

Mauer managed Landa in Cedar Rapids. Coaching staffs for the 2017 Kernels have yet to be announced.

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