For Albert Almora, triumph turned to tragedy in an instant.

Almora, a star center fielder for Hialeah Gardens’ Mater Academy, led Team USA 18-under squad to a gold medal at the Pan American Championships in Colombia in November. Almora returned home with a gold medal and the MVP trophy.

But unbeknownst to him, his grandmother, Tomasa Sosa, 88, had died one day after he left for Cartagena. His grandfather, Juan Sosa, 94, died one day before Almora got back. The Sosas lived with Almora and his parents.

“It was real tough,” said Almora, 17. “My parents didn’t want to worry me while I was in Colombia. But once I got back and didn’t see them in their room … It went from being happy about a great tournament to my parents telling me the news.”

Almora, who broke down in tears, went to the viewing for his grandparents. He took his gold medal and placed it in his grandfather’s casket, where it will remain for eternity.

“They were the best human beings ever,” Almora said. “They never had an argument with us. My grandmother would cook, and my grandfather was strong like an ox at 94, still cutting the grass.

“Every night after dinner, my grandfather would make my favorite dessert — guava with cream cheese. I wouldn’t even have to ask. He would bring it to me.”

Almora said he hasn’t had the treat since he got back home. He is, after all, still grieving for his beloved grandparents, but he has also kept himself busy with school and baseball, where he is an emerging star.

Of the top high school seniors in the nation, Almora is ranked 10th by Baseball America. He has a scholarship to the University of Miami and will likely face a tough decision this June, when he is expected to be a first-round Major League Baseball draft pick.

The slotted signing bonus for a player drafted that high is more than $1 million.

“I don’t have control over the draft, but I look at it as a win-win situation,” Almora said. “Playing for UM has always been a dream of mine. But I am going to be playing baseball either way.”

Almora, a 6-2, 175-pounder, has been starting at Mater since the eighth grade. He was all of 5-6 and 110 pounds at the time, but coach Eddie Gorriz realized his talent right away.

“You see that kid play center field, and your jaw drops,” Gorriz said. “I was going to start him his seventh-grade year, but he was so thin. I thought that if he got hit by a ball, it might break him.”

Gorriz shouldn’t have feared for Almora, who has been playing for the U.S. youth national team since age 13. He has won five gold medals, including a 16-under win over Cuba in the Junior Olympics final in Taiwan.

In his most recent international competition, Almora won trophies for best centerfielder, most RBI and most steals — in addition to MVP.

Team USA went 9-0, beating Canada 12-2 in the final. Almora played all nine games, batting .421 and also leading the team in extra-base hits (six).

Scott Brosius, a three-time World Series champion, was Team USA’s manager and guided the Americans under difficult circumstances.

The Americans were the only team not given a day off. The schedule included their first game just 12 hours after they arrived and several more in which they had to wake up at 6 a.m. to make a bus ride to the stadium. The most electric game was a win over host Colombia in a sold-out stadium (13,000).

“It’s always tough when you go to a third-world country and face that kind of adversity,” Almora said. “The fans were yelling at us, calling us ‘gringos’ and telling us to go back to our country.

“It was great to endure all of that and still come out victorious. It was an honor.”

An honor he will forever dedicate to his grandparents.