Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died suddenly today in Dallas-Fort Worth. No cause of death has been released. Local authorities have stated that Skaggs was found unresponsive in his hotel room. He died 12 days shy of his 28th birthday. The Angels were in town to play the Texas Rangers, but this game has been postponed as a result of Skaggs' passing.
In 15 starts for the Angels this season, Skaggs was 7-7 with a 4.29 ERA. Skaggs' final big league start took place on Saturday night against the Oakland A's in which the Angels were shutout 4-0 and he was tagged with the loss. A southpaw pitcher, Skaggs was a first round draft pick by the Angels in 2009, but would be traded the following year to the Arizona Diamondbacks along with future big league pitchers Joe Saunders and Patrick Corbin for Dan Haren.
His major league debut with the D'Backs would come in 2012. At the age of 20, Skaggs was the second youngest player in MLB. The youngest was none other than Bryce Harper. After two seasons in Arizona, Skaggs was traded back to the Angels prior to the 2014 season in a three team trade which included the Chicago White Sox and involved Adam Eaton and Mark Trumbo. Late that season, Skaggs would require Tommy John surgery which forced him to miss the entire 2015 season.
Since his return in 2016, Skaggs has been steady if unspectacular presence in the starting rotation. Had Skaggs lived he would have likely improved on career highs he attained in wins (8) and strikeouts in 2018 (129). Skaggs' career numbers were 28-38 with a 4.41 ERA in 96 starts over 7 big league seasons.
This is not the first time the Angels have had to deal with the death of a pitcher during the season. Early in 2009, rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed with several friends in a collision with a drunk driver only hours after making a start (also against the Oakland A's). When the Angels clinched the AL West that season, his teammates honored him by spraying one of his jerseys with beer and champagne.
Given Skaggs' age it is tempting to jump to conclusions as to what caused his death. Under the circumstances, it is also worth remembering the death of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile in 2002. Like Skaggs, he was found dead in his hotel room. It was determined that his death was due to coronary artery disease.
In the final analysis, a young man is suddenly gone before his time with family, friends and fans now left to pick up the pieces. R.I.P.
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