Royals FanFest is supposed to be a celebration of all things Royals, a way for fans to meet their favorite players, coaches, and commentators in the final days before Spring Training. FanFest 2017 will go down as something else: a memorial to fallen pitcher Yordano Ventura, who died in a car accident in his native Dominican Republic just five days before the first day of FanFest.
A memorial near the FanFest entry included a spotlighted mound with Ventura’s No. 30. Illuminated photos of the fallen ace stood where home plate would have been. Video and audio commentary filled the crowded room, and fans were able to sign memorial walls or leave behind memorabilia.