Los Angeles Angels Release Statement After Tyler Skaggs Unexpected Death at 27

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs passed away on Monday at the age of 27. In the wake of the passing, the team released an official statement.

The MLB player was found unconscious in a hotel room in Southlake, Texas, and was pronounced dead at the scene. According to officials, no foul play is suspected but the investigation is ongoing.

A Spokesperson for the Southlake police department said that it “is not suspected” the baseball player took his own life, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“This afternoon at 2:18 p.m. the Southlake Police Department responded to a call of an unconscious male in a room in the Hilton Hotel. Officers arrived and found the male unresponsive and he was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

The 27-year-old was found just hours before the team’s opener to a four-game series against the Texas Rangers — which has been postponed until August — and just three days prior to his next start.

“I’m in utter shock and disbelief,” Billy Eppler — the team’s general manager said while holding back tears. “It’s just a very tragic day for the Angels, a tragic day for his wife, Carli [Skaggs], his mother Debbie [and for] Carli’s mom. Just a tragic day for everybody because this young man touched a lot of peoples’ lives, and you’re going to start to see the impact he’s had on people in the coming days.”

Rangers manager Chris Woodward described the moment he had to break the news to the team as “one of those moments where you’re kind of numb,” according to ESPN.

“There were a lot of pretty emotional guys in there, you could tell. Some guys knew him. [Jesse Chavez] had actually played with him in L.A.,” Woodward said. “Some guys that didn’t even know him were visibly shaken. You could tell.”

The left-handed pitcher was drafted straight out of Santa Monica High school in 2009 by the Angels. The following year he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks and made his MLB debut with that team in 2012. The next year, in 2013, he was traded back to the Angels.

The professional baseball player took more than a year off when he received Tommy John surgery but returned in 2016 and started the 2017 season.

Despite his setback, the pitcher was one of the teams most reliable pitchers this season going 7-7 with a 4.29 ERA in 79 2/3 innings across 15 starts. He was also 28-38 with a 4.41 ERA during his seven year career.

Skaggs was loved by so many across the board, but especially by his wife Carli who he said “I do” to a few months ago in December of 2018.