List Of Baseball Players Who Died During Their Careers
This is a list of baseball players who died during their careers.
While some of these deaths occurred during a game, the majority were the result of accidents off the field, illnesses, acts of violence, or suicide.
Repeated studies have shown that contemporary Major League Baseball players have a greater life expectancy than males in the general U.S. population — about five years more, on average, which is attributed to their superior fitness and healthy lifestyles. The longer the active career, the longer the player lives, on average. This correlation is attributed to the maintenance of fitness and increased wealth.
Deaths of active players
This is a list of notable deaths in baseball and untimely deaths of active professional baseball players.
| † | Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame |
|---|
Major League Baseball
The following Major League Baseball players died during their careers.
Former major-league players still active in professional baseball at the time of their death
Minor League Baseball
Minor league players are listed with their major league affiliate team, else denoted with a dagger (†) if their team was unaffiliated.
| Player | Age | Position | Last team | Organization | Cause of death | Year | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malcom Anderson | 23 | Third baseman | San Francisco Haverlys | — | cardiac arrest | 1888 | |
| Jesse Batterton | 19 | Second baseman | Springfield Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals | struck on the head by a pitch | 1933 | |
| Thomas Burke | 26 | Left fielder | Lynn Shoemakers | — | struck on the head by a pitch | 1906 | |
| Jairo Capellan | 19 | Pitcher | DSL Reds | Cincinnati Reds | automobile crash | 2018 | |
| Bobby Joe Case | 24 | Infielder | Mobile Bears | New York Mets | automobile crash | 1962 | |
| Evan Chambers | 24 | Outfielder | GCL Pirates | Pittsburgh Pirates | heart defect | 2013 | |
| Louis Chedo | 23 | Pitcher | Decatur Commodores | — | struck on the head by a pitch | 1925 | |
| Thomas Coates | — | Outfielder | Oshkosh Indians | — | unintentional discharge of firearm | 1909 | |
| William Coffey | 22 | Pitcher | Pampa Oilers | — | automobile crash | 1951 | |
| Brian Cole | 22 | Outfielder | Scottsdale Scorpions | New York Mets | automobile crash | 2001 | |
| Dick Conway | 19 | Catcher | Twin Falls Cowboys | New York Yankees | struck in the heart by a thrown ball | 1951 | |
| Ryan Costello | 23 | Infielder | Pensacola Blue Wahoos | Minnesota Twins | sudden cardiac arrhythmia | 2019 | |
| Aaron Cox | 24 | Pitcher | Inland Empire 66ers | Los Angeles Angels | self-inflicted gunshot wound | 2018 | |
| James Davis | 20 | Outfielder | Ballinger Cats | — | struck on the head by a pitch | 1947 | |
| Linus Ebnet | 23 | Shortstop | Winnipeg Maroons | — | struck on the head by a pitch | 1938 | |
| Alfredo Edmead | 17 | Outfielder | Salem Pirates | Pittsburgh Pirates | brain trauma from in-game outfield collision | 1974 | |
| Lute Freeland | 28 | Pitcher | New Orleans Pelicans | — | blood poisoning | 1902 | |
| Ronny Garcia | 24 | Pitcher | York Revolution | — | car crash | 2024 | |
| Miguel Gonzalez | 21 | Pitcher | DSL Orioles | Baltimore Orioles | car crash | 2017 | |
| Louis Henke | — | First baseman | Atlanta Atlantas | — | internal bleeding from a collision on the base path | 1885 | |
| Red Herbert | 18 | First baseman | Dayton Veterans | — | internal bleeding from a collision on the base path | 1904 | |
| Happy Hogan | 37 | Catcher / Manager | Vernon Tigers | — | pneumonia | 1915 | |
| Ossie Johnson | — | Outfielder | Oakland Oaks | — | blood poisoning | 1924 | |
| Ottis Johnson | 24 | Outfielder | Dothan Browns | — | struck on the head by a pitch | 1951 | |
| Yorman Landa | 22 | Pitcher | Fort Myers Miracle | Minnesota Twins | car crash | 2016 | |
| Anthony Latham | 21 | Outfielder | Winston-Salem Red Sox | Boston Red Sox | boat accident | 1983 | |
| Pete Mann | 27 | Third baseman | Macon Peaches | — | struck in the chest by a pitch | 1927 | |
| Andres Melendez | 20 | Catcher | Lynchburg Hillcats | Cleveland Guardians | Multiple Organ Failure | 2021 | |
| Doug Million | 21 | Pitcher | New Haven Ravens | Colorado Rockies | asthma attack | 1997 | |
| Sean Murphy | 27 | Pitcher | Sacramento River Cats | Oakland Athletics | Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy | 2016 | |
| Ernest Nichols | 22 | Pitcher | Spokane Indians | — | cardiac arrest | 1903 | |
| Chace Numata | 27 | Catcher | Erie SeaWolves | Detroit Tigers | injuries sustained in skateboarding accident | 2019 | |
| Bob Osgood | 19 | Catcher | Marion Cubs | Chicago Cubs | cardiac arrest | 1948 | |
| Corey Phelan | 20 | Relief pitcher | FCL Phillies | Philadelphia Phillies | T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL) | 2022 | |
| Charles Pinkney | 20 | Second basemen | Dayton Veterans | — | struck on the head by a pitch | 1909 | |
| Billy Rakes | 24 | Third basemen | Reidsville Luckies | — | automobile crash | 1953 | |
| Ernest Regenold | 25 | Pitcher | Springfield Senators | — | cardiac arrest and heat stroke | 1926 | |
| Russell Reynolds | 24 | Catcher | Huntington Red Birds | — | struck on the head by a pitch | 1935 | |
| Lionel Rodgers | 21 | Utility | Fresno Giants | San Francisco Giants | automobile crash | 1961 | |
| Ronaldo Romero | 19 | Pitcher | Gastonia Rangers | Texas Rangers | cardiomyopathy, Supac use was a contributing factor | 1990 | |
| Victor Sanchez | 20 | Pitcher | Leones del Caracas | Seattle Mariners | struck by a boat while swimming | 2015 | |
| Fausto Segura | 23 | Pitcher | Auburn Doubledays | Washington Nationals | motorcycle crash | 2020 | |
| Bill Seinsoth | 22 | First basemen | Bakersfield Dodgers | Los Angeles Dodgers | automobile crash | 1969 | |
| Leo Smith | 19 | Third baseman | Kokomo Wild Cats | — | internal bleeding from a collision on the base path | 1909 | |
| Mac Smith | 23 | Infielder | Hagerstown Packets | Washington Senators | cardiac arrest | 1954 | |
| Andy Strong | 24 | Center fielder | Crowley Millers | — | lightning strike during game | 1951 | |
| George Tkach | 21 | Second baseman | Superior Blues | — | struck on the head by a pitch | 1936 | |
| Casey Thomas | 24 | Infielder | Arizona League Athletics | Oakland Athletics | painkiller overdose | 2017 | |
| Herbert Whitney | 27 | Catcher | Burlington Pathfinders | — | struck on the head by a pitch | 1906 | |
| Lefty Wycoff | — | Pitcher | Canton Terriers | — | struck by automobile | 1929 |
Nippon Professional Baseball
| Player | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lou Jackson | 33 | Outfielder | Sankei Atoms | pancreatic necrosis | 1969 | |
| Hiroyuki Oze | 24 | Outfielder | Orix Buffaloes | suicide | 2010 | |
| Yūsuke Kinoshita | 27 | Pitcher | Chunichi Dragons | myocarditis | 2021 |
KBO League
| Player | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kim Young-Sin (baseball) | 24 | Catcher | OB Bears | Drowning suspected to be suicide | 1986 | |
| Kim Dae-Hyeon (pitcher, born 1962) | 26 | Pitcher | Haitai Tigers | car accident | 1988 | |
| Kim Sang-Jin (pitcher, born 1977) | 22 | Pitcher | Haitai Tigers | stomach cancer | 1999 | |
| Lee Kyoo-hwan (baseball) | 22 | Outfielder | Doosan Bears | fell down the stairs | 2012 | |
| Lee Doo-hwan | 24 | First baseman | KIA Tigers | Osteosarcoma | 2012 | |
| Lee Jang-hui (baseball) | 24 | Infielder | LG Twins | found dead after falling near a parking lot | 2013 | |
| Andy Marte | 33 | Infielder | kt wiz | car accident | 2017 | |
| Kim Sung-Hun (pitcher, born 1998) | 21 | pitcher | Hanwha Eagles | death in a fall from a building | 2019 |
Negro leagues
Dutch League Baseball
| Player | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartog Hamburger | 37 | Infielder | OVVO | hit by line drive ball on head | 1924 |
College baseball
| Player | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sang Ho Baek | 20 | Pitcher | George Mason | blood clot from complications from Tommy John surgery | 2021 | |
| Curtis Brenneman | 17 | Second baseman | Gettysburg | struck on head by a pitch | 1926 | |
| Derek Becker | 21 | Middle infielder | Keiser | homicide, gunshot | 2020 | |
| Chris Lane | 22 | Catcher | East Central | homicide, gunshot | 2013 | |
| Robert Brown | 19 | unknown | Howard County JC | electrocuted while erecting a foul pole that fell on a powerline | 1953 | |
| Randy Collins | 22 | Pitcher / Outfielder | Vanderbilt | automobile crash | 1973 | |
| Donny Everett | 19 | Pitcher | Vanderbilt | drowned | 2016 | |
| Joseph Geddings | 20 | Catcher | Appalachian State | struck on head by a pitch | 1964 | |
| Ira Goodlet | 18 | unknown | Arkansas Cumberland | struck on head by a pitch | 1908 | |
| James Mair | — | Second baseman | Monmouth | cerebral hemorrhage, collided with a teammate | 1896 | |
| Hervey Mangham | 19 | Right fielder | Louisiana State | struck on head by a pitch | 1908 | |
| Cassel Mowrey | 21 | First baseman | West Virginia | struck on head by a pitch | 1923 | |
| Gene Reynolds | 18 | unknown | Howard County JC | electrocuted while erecting a foul pole that fell on a powerline | 1953 | |
| Tim Trunk | 19 | Pitcher | Bradley | automobile crash | 1989 | |
| Walter Zorn | 19 | unknown | St. John's (Kansas) | struck on head by a pitch | 1950 |
See also
- Lou Gehrig - New York Yankees's first baseman who was forced into retirement after being diagnosed with ALS, he would untimely die from the disease, two years later in 1941.
- Sportspeople who died during their careers
- List of Major League Baseball players who died in wars
Notes
References
- Abrunzo, Thomas (1991), "Commotio Cordis: The Single, Most Common Cause of Traumatic Death in Youth Baseball", American Journal of Diseases of Children, 145 (11): 1279–1282, doi:10.1001/archpedi.1991.02160110071023, PMID 1951221, S2CID 31217442
- Gorman, Robert; Weeks, David (2009), Death at the Ballpark: A Comprehensive Study of Game-related Fatalities of Players, Other Personnel and Spectators in Amateur and Professional Baseball, 1862–2007, McFarland, ISBN 9780786452545
- Lawless, Molly (2012), Hit by Pitch: Ray Chapman, Carl Mays and the Fatal Fastball, McFarland, ISBN 9780786484843
- Lennox, Doug (2010), Now You Know Baseball, Dundurn, ISBN 9781770705883
- Light, Jonathan (2005), "Deaths", The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball, McFarland & Company, pp. 246–250, ISBN 0-7864-2087-1
- Saint Onge, Jarron; Rogers, Richard; Krueger, Patrick (July 17, 2008), "Major League Baseball Players' Life Expectancies", Social Science Quarterly, 89 (3): 817–830, doi:10.1111/j.1540-6237.2008.00562.x, PMC 2743321, PMID 19756205
Further reading
- Lee, Bill (2009), Baseball Necrology, McFarland, ISBN 978-0786442393
- Bedingfield, Gary (2009), Baseball's Dead of World War II, McFarland, ISBN 978-0786444540
- Baltov, Victor (2010), "Jaws (There is a Shark in the Water)", Baseball Is America, AuthorHouse, pp. 253–276, ISBN 9781452004884
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