Notable baseball players who died during career

Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died Monday in Southlake, Texas, at age 27, the team announced.

"Tyler has, and always will be, an important part of the Angels Family," the organization said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Carli and his entire family during this devastating time."

Skaggs' death came 10 seasons after another Angels pitcher, Nick Adenhart, tragically died in a car accident following his 2009 season debut. The following is a list of some other notable Major League players who died during their professional careers.

Tyler Skaggs, RHP
July 13, 1991-July 1, 2019
Skaggs was one the players selected in the Angels' impressive first-round Draft class in 2009. Skaggs was selected after outfielders Mike Trout and Randal Grichuk, and just ahead of fellow starter Garrett Richards. Skaggs was later traded to the D-backs, along with Patrick Corbin, as part of a blockbuster deal to bring Dan Haren to the Angels. Skaggs made his big league debut with Arizona on Aug. 22, 2012 and pitched two seasons with the D-backs, before returning to the Angels in a three-team trade in December '13. He helped the Angels make a playoff run in his first season with the club, though he underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery in August of that season and missed the entire '15 campaign. He had been a mainstay in the Angels' rotation since working his way back from the procedure.

Luis Valbuena, INF
Nov. 30, 1985-Dec. 6, 2018
Valbuena played for five teams over an 11-year Major League career -- the Mariners, Indians, Cubs, Astros and Angels. He hit 114 career home runs, including a career-high 25 homers with the Astros in 2015. His other 20-homer season came two years later in his debut season with the Angels, when he clubbed 22 and had a career-high 65 RBIs in just 117 games. Valbuena died in a car accident in December 2018 on his way home from a game for his winter league team in his home country of Venezuela.

Yordano Ventura, RHP
June 3, 1991-Jan. 22, 2017
Ventura got a brief taste of the Majors in 2013, but really burst onto the scene in his first full season in '14. Flashing an electric 100-mph fastball, he went 14-10 with a 3.20 ERA for the Royals on his way to garnering a share of American League Rookie of the Year votes. He helped lead the Royals to the AL pennant that season, and was a member of the World Series champion club the following year. He died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic at the age of 25 prior to the 2017 season.

Jose Fernandez, RHP
July 31, 1992-Sept. 25, 2016
Fernandez was one of the most dominant starting pitchers during his brief four-year career with the Marlins. He went 12-6 with a 2.19 ERA in 2013 to earn NL Rookie of the Year honors, while also finishing third in NL Cy Young voting. He posted a sub-3.00 ERA in each of his four big league seasons, and finished with a 2.58 career ERA -- the second-lowest among any pitcher with at least 75 starts since 1920. At just 24 years old, Fernandez died in a boating accident in Miami, Fla., less than 48 hours before he was scheduled to make his final start of the '16 season.

Tommy Hanson, RHP
Aug. 28, 1986-Nov. 9, 2015
Hanson, a 22nd-round pick by the Braves in the 2005 Draft, consistently impressed at each level of the Minors as he worked his way through the Atlanta system. That success continued when he arrived in the big leagues in 2009, with the right-hander going 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA, and finishing third in NL Rookie of the Year voting. He spent four seasons with the Braves before being traded to the Angels, where he played his final Major League season in '13. He appeared in the Minors for the White Sox in '14 and the Giants in '15 before dying from catastrophic organ failure following the '15 season.

Oscar Taveras, OF
June 19, 1992-Oct. 26, 2014
A highly-touted prospect, Taveras signed with the Cardinals at the age of 16 in 2008. After working his way through the Minors, he homered in his Major League debut on May 31, 2014 against the Giants. He spent the rest of the year with the Cardinals, helping them reach the postseason, where he hit a game-tying home run -- once again against the Giants -- in the seventh inning of Game 2 of the NLCS. The Cardinals went on to win the game on a Kolten Wong walk-off homer, but lost the series in five games. Taveras died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic just 10 days after the Cards were eliminated from the postseason.

Greg Halman, OF
Aug. 26, 1987-Nov. 21, 2011
Halman, a Netherlands native, signed with the Mariners as an undrafted free agent in 2004. His offensive talent helped him climb through the Mariners' system, and also earned him Seattle's Minor League Player of the Year Award in 2008 after he hit a combined 29 home runs and 31 stolen bases between Class A Advanced High Desert and Double-A West Tennessee. He made his big league debut in 2010 and played parts of two seasons with Seattle before he died from stab wounds sustained in the Netherlands following the '11 campaign.

Nick Adenhart, RHP
Aug. 24, 1986-April 9, 2009
Adenhart was one of the top high school prospects in the country entering his senior season, but he sustained an injury in his final start that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. The injury led to Adenhart falling to the 14th round, where he was selected by the Angels. He worked his back, and became the Angels' top prospect before making his brief big league debut in 2008, when he started three games. He began the '09 campaign in the Angels' rotation and tossed six scoreless innings in his season debut before he died in a car accident caused by a drunk driver just hours after that outing.

Joe Kennedy, LHP
May 24, 1979-Nov. 23, 2007
Kennedy pitched for five teams -- the Rays, Athletics, Rockies, D-backs and Blue Jays -- over a seven-year big league career. After starting for the majoriity of his first five seasons, the A's converted Kennedy to a reliever during the 2005 season. He then put up a 2.31 ERA the following year in his first full season out of the bullpen. Kennedy collapsed and died from hypertensive heart disease following the '07 season.

Josh Hancock, RHP
April 11, 1978-April 29, 2007
Hancock pitched for four teams -- the Red Sox, Phillies, Reds and Cardinals -- over a six-year Major League career. He set career highs for appearances (62) and innings (77) as a regular reliever for the 2006 Cardinals, a team that went on to win the World Series. He died in a car accident on April 29 the following season, just hours after pitching three innings in relief.

Cory Lidle, RHP
March 22, 1972-Oct. 11, 2006
Lidle played for seven teams over his nine-year career, beginning as a reliever before transitioning into a consistent starter. He made his big league debut with the Mets in 1997, with 52 of his 54 appearances coming in relief. He then spent two seasons with the Rays, making 11 starts to go with his 24 relief appearances. He joined the Athletics in 2001, and all but two of his remaining 187 games came as a starter. Lidle was acquired by the Yankees, along with Bobby Abreau, at the 2006 Trade Deadline. He died when the small aircraft he was flying crashed into a building in New York City, just four days after he pitched in Game 4 of the Yankees' ALDS loss to the Tigers, which ended New York's season.

Dernell Stenson, OF
June 17, 1978-Nov. 5, 2003
Stenson spent seven years playing Minor League Baseball in the Red Sox organization, before signing with the Reds as a free agent in 2003. He impressed enough in his first season in the Reds' system that Cincinnati promoted him to the Majors in August. Stenson was then invited to play in the Arizona Fall League, but was murdered during his time in Arizona. The Arizona Fall League introduced the Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award the following year, an honor given to the player who best displays the values of perseverance and humility.

Darryl Kile, RHP
Dec. 2, 1968-June 22, 2002
Kile was a three-time All-Star over his 12-year career, during which he played for the Astros, Rockies and Cardinals. He went 19-7 with a career-best 2.57 ERA in his final season with the Astros in 1997, while finishing fifth in NL Cy Young Award voting. He then struggled in two seasons with the Rockies, before rediscovering his All-Star form when he joined the Cardinals in 2000, and promptly recorded his first career 20-win season. The Cardinals became concerned when Kile did not show up for a game at Wrigley Field on June 22, and he was later found dead of a heart attack in his hotel room.

Tim Crews, RHP
April 3, 1961-March 23, 1993
Crews pitched six seasons for the Dodgers from 1987-92, helping the club win the '88 World Series. He pitched almost exclusively in relief, racking up a 3.44 ERA in 281 career appearances. Crews signed with the Indians following the '92 season, but died from a boating accident -- along with teammate Steve Olin -- during Spring Training before ever making an official appearance for Cleveland.

Steve Olin, RHP
Oct. 4, 1965-March 22, 1993
Olin died in a boating accident -- along with teammate Tim Crews -- during Spring Training prior to the 1993 season. Olin spent his four-year career pitching for the Indians, making all but one of his 195 appearances in relief. He was coming off a phenomenal '92 campaign in which he posted a 2.34 ERA in a career-high 72 appearances.

Donnie Moore, RHP
Feb. 13, 1954-July 18, 1989
Moore had a 13-year big league career that included a 1985 All-Star appearance during a sensational season with the Angels. After putting up a 4.41 ERA in his first nine seasons with the Cubs, Cardinals, Brewers and Braves, Moore flashed signs of improvement when he posted a 2.94 ERA with Atlanta in '84. The Angels selected Moore as a free agent compensation pick after the season, and he responded by turning in a 1.92 ERA in 103 innings over 65 appearances in his All-Star season. Moore played in the Minors in the Royals' organization in 1989 before committing suicide in July of that year.

Thurman Munson, C
June 7, 1947-Aug. 2, 1979
Munson was a seven-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion during his 11-year career, spent entirely with the Yankees. He also won the 1970 AL Rookie of the Year Award and was named the AL Most Valuable Player in '76, when he hit .302 with career highs in RBIs (105) and stolen bases (14), while striking out only 38 times. Munson, who had made the All-Star team each season from '73-78, died on an off-day during the '79 season when the small aircraft he was flying crashed while attempting to land at an airport in Ohio.

Lyman Bostock, OF
Nov. 22, 1950-Sept. 24, 1978
Lyman spent his first three seasons with the Twins from 1975-77, enjoying a breakout season in his final year with the club. He hit .336 with 14 homers, 12 triples, 36 doubles and 90 RBIs on his way to earning a share of MVP votes. He signed with the Angels the following season, but was shot and killed just hours after playing a September game against the White Sox during that debut season with the Angels. He finished his career with a .311 batting average.

Roberto Clemente, OF
Aug. 18, 1934-Dec. 31, 1972
A Hall of Famer and 15-time All-Star, Clemente died in a New Year's Eve plane crash while attempting to help deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Known off the field for his frequent charity work, Clemente was also one of the game's top players on the field. He spent his entire 18-year career with the Pirates, during which he won four batting titles, 12 Gold Glove Awards, the 1966 NL MVP Award and finished with exactly 3,000 hits -- the last of which came in his final big league at-bat.