Former Milwaukee Brewers prospect Aaron Familia, 24, dies after suffering heart attack while attempting to cross Mexico-United States border
Former Milwaukee Brewers prospect Aaron Familia, 24, dies after heart attack while trying to cross Mexico-United States border
- Aaron Familia, 24, reportedly suffered a heart attack and died in Mexico
- The Dominican was a member of the Milwaukee Brewers organization until 2019
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
A former Milwaukee Brewers candidate has died after attempting to cross the border between the United States and Mexico.
Aaron Familia, 24, who was born in the Dominican Republic, suffered a heart attack this week in Mexico, the Dominican newspaper El Diario Nuevo reported on Friday.
“We are saddened by Aaron’s passing. Our condolences go out to his family and friends at this difficult time,” the Brewers said in a statement Friday evening.
Familia last played in the Brewers organization in 2019 with Arizona League affiliate Biloxi Shuckers.
The infielder agreed to a $300,000 signing bonus as an international free agent in 2015.
Aaron Familia, a former prospect with the Milwaukee Brewers organization, died this week of a heart attack in Mexico as he was about to cross the border into the United States.
The 24-year-old Dominican Republic native played four seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system
Familia made his professional debut in 2016 with the club’s Dominican Summer League affiliate.
His best season came in 2017 when he hit .289 with five home runs and 38 RBI over 59 games in the Dominican Summer League and was promoted to the Shuckers for the 2018 season.
Familia’s career came to an end after 2019. Overall, he averaged .242, 10 home runs, 72 RBI and 128 hits in 530 at-bats across 167 games.
DailyMail.com reached out to Mexico’s National Institute of Migration and US Customs and Border Protection for comment.
Data collected by the International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project shows that since 2014, 2,039 people have died trying to cross the border between the United States and Mexico.
The report found that at least 998 of these deaths were attributed to drownings.
In addition, 650 cases were caused by extreme environmental conditions and the lack of basic needs such as shelter, food or water.
Aaron Familia received a $300,000 signing bonus from the Milwaukee Brewers in 2015 as an international free agent