Tyler Skaggs' career in professional baseball
Baseball is in mourning on Monday with the passing of Angels left-hander Tyler Skaggs in Southlake, Texas, at 27 years old.
Here’s a look at the timeline of his professional baseball career:
MLB Draft
Skaggs was selected by the Angels with the No. 40 overall pick in the 2009 Draft out of Santa Monica High School where his mother, Debbie, was a renowned softball coach. Skaggs was part of a Draft haul by the Angels that included Randal Grichuk, Mike Trout, Garrett Richards and Patrick Corbin.
Skaggs had a scholarship to pitch at Cal State Fullerton but signed with the Angels for $1 million. He made his pro debut at 17 years old, posting a 3.60 ERA in 10 innings for Rookie-level Arizona and Rookie-level Orem.
Trade to D-backs
Skaggs was sent to the D-backs as part of a Trade Deadline deal in 2010. He went to Arizona with fellow pitchers Patrick Corbin, Joe Saunders and Rafael Rodriguez, with the Angels receiving Dan Haren in return. Skaggs was the player to be named later in the trade, which was agreed to on July 25, going to Arizona on Aug. 7.
Minor League rise
Skaggs developed into an elite prospect while in Arizona’s organization. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the No. 21 overall prospect before the 2012 season and the No. 10 overall prospect before the 2013 season. Skaggs represented the D-backs in the All-Star Futures Game in both 2011 and 2012.
MLB debut
Skaggs made his debut with the D-backs on Aug. 22, 2012, against the Marlins at Chase Field. Skaggs, just 21 years and 40 days old at the time, threw 6 2/3 strong innings, allowing two runs on three hits and five walks with four strikeouts to pick up the win.
It was his lone win that year -- he went 1-3 with a 5.83 ERA in six starts in '12. He made seven more starts with the D-backs in '13, posting a 5.12 ERA.
Trade back to Angels
Jerry Dipoto was the GM of the D-backs when they acquired Skaggs, and when he became GM of the Angels, he brought Skaggs back to the organization as part of a three-team trade that also included the White Sox on Dec. 10, 2013.
The Angels received Skaggs and fellow lefty Hector Santiago, the D-backs received Mark Trumbo and Minor Leaguers A.J. Schugel and Brandon Jacobs, and the White Sox acquired Adam Eaton.
Tommy John surgery
Skaggs was a regular member of the Angels' rotation in 2014, posting a 4.30 ERA in 18 starts with 86 strikeouts and 30 walks in 113 innings. But he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his start on July 31 and underwent Tommy John surgery that August. He missed the entire 2015 season.
Return from Tommy John surgery
Skaggs' first game back from Tommy John surgery was one of the best of his career, as he threw seven scoreless innings against the Royals on July 26, 2016. He followed it up with 5 1/3 shutout frames against the Red Sox on July 31 at Angel Stadium to open his season with 12 1/3 scoreless innings.
Since 2016, Skaggs was an integral part of the Angels' rotation. He posted a 4.24 ERA in 65 starts with 333 strikeouts in 339 2/3 innings. He pitched a career-high 125 1/3 innings in 2018, posting a 4.02 ERA with 129 strikeouts. He had a 2.57 ERA in 17 starts in the first half and was a serious candidate to be an All-Star for the first time.
This year, he had a 4.29 ERA in 15 starts, including a 1.62 ERA over his last three outings. His final start came on Saturday, when he gave up two runs on two hits over 4 1/3 innings in a loss against the A's at Angel Stadium.