Domestic assault video spurs former MLB prospect's release
The Lancaster Barnstormers released former MLB prospect Danry Vasquez after surveillance video of a domestic violence incident was recently made public, the team announced.
The video, obtained by a local news outlet in Corpus Christi, Texas, through an open records request, shows Vasquez striking his girlfriend on Aug. 3, 2016 in a stairwell at Whataburger Field, home to the Houston Astros’ Double-A affiliate.
"There is no choice but to sever the relationship,” Barnstormers manager Ross Peeples said in a statement posted to the team’s Facebook page. “Neither I, nor the Barnstormers’ organization as a whole, can condone or associate with that behavior."
The Astros released Vasquez and he was suspended indefinitely by Major League Baseball after he was reportedly arrested on suspicion of assault family violence following the stairwell incident.
Nueces County District Attorney Mark Gonzalez told KRIS 6 News the case was dismissed after Vasquez completed all of the requirements of a plea agreement.
However, according to USA Today, court records show a violation report from April 2017, stating Vasquez failed to check in with a pre-trial diversion program.
The Barnstormers play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with MLB.
Vasquez originally signed as an international free agent with the Detroit Tigers in 2010, receiving a $1.2-million signing bonus out of Venezuela. Midway through the 2013 season, the Tigers traded Vasquez to the Astros.