Tyler Skaggs dead

[Valuist]

27 year old Angel pitcher was found dead in his hotel room this morning. No foul play suspected; no cause of death released.

[JimG]

Reminds me of when I heard about Daryl Kile many years ago. Prayers to his family.


Jim

[Valuist]

Originally Posted by JimG

Reminds me of when I heard about Daryl Kile many years ago. Prayers to his family.


Jim

Exactly what I was thinking.

I remember that morning in 2002 and I went to some of the message boards and there was talk of a death to an important person within the Cardinals organization.

Have to wonder if it was some type of congenital heart defect for Skaggs.

[ElKabong]

Thoughts and prayers out to his family. Very sad.

This has to be hard on his parents, if still living. My wife lost a son to a car accident at a young age. Mothers never really get over the tragedy, I'm sure most dads would be the same way.

[Lemon Drop Husker]

Angels pitchers combined for a no-hitter last night and all put a 45 jersey on the mound.


Sucks saying he was a beloved member of the team; but obviously was.


Could or should be any of us. He was better than most of us.

[FantasticDan]

Originally Posted by Valuist

Have to wonder if it was some type of congenital heart defect for Skaggs.

Nope.. choked on vomit after a drug and alcohol bender:

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/30/healt...ath/index.html

[TJDave]

Originally Posted by FantasticDan

Nope.. choked on vomit after a drug and alcohol bender:

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/30/healt...ath/index.html

Accidental drug overdose. Interesting choice of words. He didn’t want to kill himself... just get really f***** up?

[JustRalph]

The team dealer killed him? Wow!


“Preliminary data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics estimates there were 68,557 drug overdose deaths last year. An estimated 47,590 involved opioids, and 31,897 involved synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl and tramadol.”

Versus

“In 2017, the most recent year for which complete data is available, 39,773 people died from gun-related injuries in the U.S., according to the CDC.

This figure includes gun murders and gun suicides, along with three other, less common types of gun-related deaths tracked by the CDC: those that were unintentional, involved law enforcement or whose circumstances could not be determined. It excludes deaths in which gunshot injuries played a contributing, but not principal, role. (CDC fatality statistics are based on information contained in death certificates.)”

60% of gun deaths are suicides........

But guns are the problem.

[TJDave]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

The team dealer killed him? Wow

Not likely.

Not an effective business model.

[ElKabong]

Pain killers are a pitchers best friend, have been for fifty plus years. It's a damn shame, and baseball will need to take a second look at roster limits to help the situation

Anyone remember sandy Koufax retirement press conference? I was a little leaguer or pony leaguer at the time, and pitched half our games. I couldn't imagine anyone quitting baseball because your arm was tired, but as a teenager I got the memo. Sandy was a fricken hero. He chose health over baseball.

Btw the GM for the angels supposedly is not being brought back for next season. I imagine there's more to this story of being given pain killers within the org.

I think MLB is in good enough financial shape to change roster limits to alleviate overworked arms. Something along the line of a max of 14 position players and a mandatory staff of 15 pitchers. There are a lot of tired arms in MLB late in the summer. Guys have to answer the call when needed, and one can see a Koufax situation with them. Living with pain killers as supplements is no way to go

[Marshall Bennett]

There are a load of old pitchers still around that threw 250+ innings and their pitching arms are intact and healthy. I think its comparable to the legs of racehorses these days. They're conditioned from an early age to a delicate regiment. They pulled a pitcher the other night with 7 no-hit innings. His pitch-count was around 100. I think its more than the 10 million dollar contract they want to protect. Its also an image that dictates physical preservation. To have even one young star in a blue moon blow his arm throwing 140 pitches, is a blemish no team can afford to risk.
Btw...doesn't drug testing detect pain killers?

[jocko699]

Originally Posted by Marshall Bennett

There are a load of old pitchers still around that threw 250+ innings and their pitching arms are intact and healthy. I think its comparable to the legs of racehorses these days. They're conditioned from an early age to a delicate regiment. They pulled a pitcher the other night with 7 no-hit innings. His pitch-count was around 100. I think its more than the 10 million dollar contract they want to protect. Its also an image that dictates physical preservation. To have even one young star in a blue moon blow his arm throwing 140 pitches, is a blemish no team can afford to risk.
Btw...doesn't drug testing detect pain killers?

Yes it will show up as a positive. It is not illegal to take Opiods if a doctor has prescribed the medication however there are things you should not do while using them; Driving, operating equipment, etc.