Tyler Skaggs, Los Angeles Angels pitcher, dead at 27
Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs has died, the team announced Monday. He was 27. The cause of his death was not given, and officials said an autopsy would be performed Tuesday. Police in the Dallas suburb of Southlake said Skaggs was found unresponsive in his hotel room and that there were no signs of foul play.
The Angels were in Texas for a game against the Rangers tonight, which has been postponed.
"It is with great sorrow that we report Tyler Skaggs passed away earlier today in Texas," the Angels said in a statement posted on Twitter, calling him "an important part of the Angels family." "Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Carli and his entire family during this devastating time."
Angels statement on the passing of Tyler Skaggs. pic.twitter.com/6XA2Vu1uWV
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) July 1, 2019
The Texas Rangers released a statement expressing "deepest sympathies to the family of Tyler Skaggs and the entire Angels organization for this shocking loss." The Angels were in Texas to begin a four-game series, CBS DFW reported.
Southlake Police said they responded to a call of an unconscious man in a room at a Hilton hotel. Officers arrived and found Skaggs unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
At this time, no foul play is suspected, but police said the investigation is ongoing. They also said suicide was not suspected.
Southlake Police Department Press Release 7/1/19 pic.twitter.com/vgZTUBIc40
— Southlake DPS (@SouthlakeDPS) July 1, 2019
"I am deeply saddened by today's tragedy in Texas," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "All of us at Major League Baseball extend our deepest condolences to Tyler's wife Carli, their family, their friends and all of his Angels' teammates and colleagues. We will support the Angels' organization through this most difficult period, and we will make a variety of resources available to Tyler's teammates and other members of the baseball family."
Skaggs, a Southern California native who would have turned 28 on July 13, had pitched in the majors for parts of seven seasons and last took the mound Saturday against the Oakland Athletics, CBS Sports reported. Originally the No. 40 pick in the 2009 draft, Skaggs was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks and then back to the Angels, where he'd been a regular in the starting rotation for the last several years.
Skaggs posted a photo of the team on Instagram yesterday wearing cowboy hats, with the caption: "Howdy y'all. #TexasRoadtrip."