Christian Colon devastated by loss of 'little brother' Ventura

When news surfaced Sunday that Kansas City Royals right-hander Yordano Ventura was killed in an automobile accident in the Dominican Republic, many around the baseball world were crushed by the loss of the 25-year-old.

Players paid their respects on social media and attended a vigil at Kauffman Stadium in remembrance of the fiery, young pitcher.

One person who took the news incredibly hard was Royals infielder Christian Colon, who was a close friend of Ventura's and one of the aforementioned players to attend the vigil.

Colon made some of his feelings about the tragedy public on Sunday when he posted his thoughts on Twitter.

"How can I even begin to explain how much I cared about you? You were like a little brother to me. You were a tough one to deal with but with your love and smile you could always make everything OK," Colon wrote. "We would have long conversations about life, about how much we wanted to be great in all aspects of life. I knew the struggle you had to overcome to get to where you were and I could always see it in your eyes that you wanted more. I knew your secrets and I knew your strengths. I knew anytime you needed a teammate to help you with something, that teammate would be me. I'm so happy to be able to say I knew you. I'm gonna miss you more than you know. I know at times you were tough but I knew u were just misunderstood. Love you bro and you will forever have a special place in my heart."

The 27-year-old Colon was drafted fourth overall by the Royals in 2010. He played three seasons with Ventura in the big leagues from 2014-16, but also spent time with him in the minors across multiple levels.