( CNN ) -- Venezuelan federal authorities on Thursday dispatched their `` best investigators '' to track the kidnappers of Major League Baseball catcher Wilson Ramos , the country 's justice minister said . Ramos , a rising star for the Washington Nationals , was snatched from his family home in central Venezuela by gunmen Wednesday night , a team spokeswoman said . The 24-year-old emerged as the Nationals ' top catcher this past season . He had a .267 batting average with 15 home runs and 52 runs batted in . This past year was his rookie season , and he was back in his home country playing for the Aragua Tigers in Venezuela 's winter league . The Nationals could not confirm the kidnapping , but they published a statement citing Tiger 's spokeswoman Kathe Vilera . Ramos was kidnapped by four armed men from his home in Santa Ines , in Carabobo state , Vilera said on Twitter . `` It 's sad , worrisome and true that Wilson Ramos was kidnapped , '' she wrote . The vehicle believed to have been used in the kidnapping was found in the town of Bejuma , about 60 miles from where Ramos was kidnapped , the country 's justice and interior minister , Tareck El Aissami . `` The best investigators we have '' are on the case , he said . The federal agency in charge of the case said they had assembled the police sketches of two of the alleged kidnappers . `` Prudence and an even head are important in this difficult moment that the Ramos family is going through , '' Tigers President and General Manager Rafael Rodriguez said in a statement . `` With God 's help we will end up well in this complicated situation . '' Unlike most Latin American countries , it is not soccer that rules in Venezuela , but baseball . A number of Venezuelan players make it to the major leagues in the United States . But along with the success and paydays in the United States , Venezuelan natives and their families have faced threats at home . The targeting of baseball players by criminal groups is not unheard of in Venezuela , but Ramos ' case could be the first time that a player himself was kidnapped . In 2009 , the 11-year-old son of Texas Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba , as well as his brother-in-law , were kidnapped for ransom . The pair were released the next day , reportedly with no ransom paid . Former major league pitcher Victor Zambrano 's mother was also kidnapped that year , and rescued in a police operation . The brother of Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Henry Blanco was kidnapped and killed in 2008 . The trend of Venezuelan ballplayers being at risk goes back at least to 2005 , when the mother of former big-league pitcher Ugueth Urbina , was kidnapped and held captive for months . The FBI on Thursday informed the government of Venezuela that it is prepared to assist in Ramos ' case if asked to , an FBI spokesman said . So far the government of President Hugo Chavez has not requested U.S. assistance . Currently the FBI is not involved because Ramos is not a U.S. citizen and the crime did not occur in the United States , so Washington authorities have no jurisdiction to investigate the case unless asked . The U.S. State Department has warned of the increasing cases of kidnappings in Venezuela . In 2009 , the number of reported kidnappings in the country doubled from the previous year , and police admit that many cases do n't get reported . CNN 's Terry Frieden and Mark Bixler contributed to this report .
NEW : Police have 15 sketches of the suspects . Ramos was kidnapped from his family home in Santa Ines . He was playing in a winter league in Venezuela . Wilson Ramos finished his rookie season with Twitter .