Today, the Los Angeles Angels and the baseball community as a whole have been affected by this tragedy. Tyler Skaggs, 27, was found unconscious in his hotel room this morning in Texas and was pronounced deceased on the scene. As of now, officials are ruling out foul play but have not released other information.
Like most people, I was having a nice day today until I read the unfortunate headlines of Skaggs’ passing. You don’t have to be an Angels fan to be sad. If you are a fan of the game and sports in general, it is one of the saddest things that can happen. I don’t really know how to put it into words at the moment. The whole situation is tragic.
What was going to be a post about the Dodgers, will now be a tribute to Tyler Skaggs’ brief career.
Tyler Skaggs was from Woodland Hills, California and attended Santa Monica High School. Skaggs was drafted in 2009 by the Los Angeles Angels and made his Major League Debut in 2012. During his career, Skaggs’ spent time with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Angels. He had a record of 28 Wins and 38 Losses.
Skaggs’ career started with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a reliever and he was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Angels for Mark Trumbo. After the trade, Skaggs was transitioned to a full time starting role but did not find tremendous success. However, most of Skaggs’ faults came from injuries that required lengthy recovery time. He suffered a setback in 2014 due to Tommy John surgery. No matter what, though, Skaggs’ career was starting to take a turn. He was finally pitching the way he wanted to pitch and was feeling good.
Being from Southern California and being a fan of baseball in general, I was fortunate enough to attend a few Angel games over the years and see Tyler Skaggs pitch. Regardless of stardom or fame, when a Major League Athlete of any sport passes, the news is tragic. The baseball community and the Los Angeles Angels lost a tremendous pitcher today. My condolences to Tyler’s family, friends and teammates during this emotional time.
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