SEATTLE -- Victor Sanchez, one of the top pitching prospects in the Mariners farm system, suffered a head injury in a boating accident in his home country of Venezuela on Friday, the team confirmed Sunday.Sanchez, 20, was reportedly struck by a watercraft while swimming on a beach in Carupano and, according to a report by the Venezuelan sports website Lavinotinto.com, was unconscious for some period of time after the accident and is now in intensive care in critical, but stable, condition at a Carupano hospital following surgery on a fractured skull. Dr. Rolando Cobis, who performed surgery on Sanchez at the Polyclinic Compano, told the website on Sunday that the youngster "is still fighting for his life." 
The Mariners learned of the accident from Sanchez's agency in Venezuela on Saturday and are sending one of their Venezuela employees to the hospital in Carupano to help monitor the situation.The six-foot, 255-pound right-hander was ranked the Mariners' 11th-best prospect by MLB.com last year. He went 7-6 with a 4.19 ERA in 23 starts for Double-A Jackson, where he was the second-youngest player in the Southern League.Sanchez was regarded as one of Venezuela's top young pitching prospects when the Mariners signed him for a reported $2.5 million bonus in 2011 as a 16-year-old out of Rio Chico, Venezuela. He made 15 starts with low Class A Everett in 2012, going 6-2 with a 3.18 ERA, then posted a 6-6 record and 2.78 ERA in 20 starts for Class A Clinton in 2013 before being promoted to Double-A ball last season.Sanchez threw a no-hitter for Clinton in 2013, in the 27th start of his pro career, blanking Lansing for nine innings with eight strikeouts and no walks and just one hit batter marring his outing.Sanchez was not among the players invited to Seattle's upcoming Major League camp, but was preparing to report to Minor League camp in several weeks at the team's complex in Peoria, Ariz.
Greg Johns/ MLB.com
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