Former MLB player Sean Burrows died Thursday after collapsing while coaching his son’s Little League baseball game. According to a report by Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
He was only 43 years old.
The son of 1974 American League MVP Jeff Burrows, Sean has a long history in baseball.
As a young man, Burroughs was a star player on a Little League team in Long Beach, California, leading the team to back-to-back championships in 1992 and 1993.
Burroughs was drafted ninth overall by the San Diego Padres in 1998 and made his major league debut with the team in 2002 at the age of 21.
Before reaching the majors, Burrows won a gold medal for the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
Burroughs went on to play seven seasons in the major leagues, appearing in 528 games and posting a slash line of .278/.335/.355.
He spent his first four seasons in San Diego from 2002 to 2005.
Burrows played in 146 games as the Padres’ starting third baseman in 2003, hitting .286/.352/.402 with seven home runs and seven stolen bases, the best season of his career.
In 2006, Burrows joined the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but played in just eight games before being released. A year later, he was in the minor leagues with the Seattle Mariners, but never made it out of Triple-A.
During his time away from baseball from 2008 to 2010, Burroughs battled addiction, “abusing every substance he could get his hands on,” and entered a dark world. As he told ESPNbefore making a triumphant return to the diamond.
After three years off the field, the Arizona Diamondbacks signed Burrows to a minor league contract prior to the 2011 season. That season, he appeared in 78 games.
Burrows got another chance in the majors with the Minnesota Twins.
He played in 10 games, his final appearances at the highest level.
