Tyler Skaggs, 1991-2019

The Los Angeles Angels, who debuted in the American League in 1961, were named for a team that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1957. And that team was named for the city itself: It was originally a Spanish mission named El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles -- The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels.

But through their history, the baseball team has had several of its players did while still active, becoming the other kind of Angels all too soon. They are one of baseball's most tragic franchises, for reasons that have nothing to do with their on-field performance. Now, another has been added to this sad litany. And he was a local product.

Tyler Wayne Skaggs was born on July 13, 1991 in Woodland Hills, in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles. He grew up in neighboring Santa Monica, and was selected by the Angels in the 1st round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. A lefthander, he pitched in that season for the Arizona Angels of the Arizona League and the Orem Owls (of Utah) of the Pioneer League. He began the 2010 season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Iowa) of the Class A Midwest League.

On July 25, 2010, he was 1 of 3 players traded by the Angels to the Arizona Diamondbacks, for Dan Haren. The D-backs kept him in the Midwest League, assigning him to the South Bend Silver Hawks. In 2011, they sent hi to the Visalia Rawhide of the California League, then to the Mobile Bay Bears (Alabama) of the Class AA Southern League, making the All-Star Futures Game that year. He made that game again the next year, having been promoted to the Class AAA Reno Aces (Nevada) of the PCL.

On August 22, 2012, he made his major league debut, starting for the Diamondbacks against the Miami Marlins at Chase Field, going 6 1/3rd innings, supported by a home run by Aaron Hill, and was the winning pitcher in the D-backs' 3-2 win. It was the 1st game of a doubleheader, and the D-backs won the 2nd game, too, 3-0. He went 1-3 that season, and 2-3 the next.

Before the 2014 season, he was traded back to the Angels. At the age of 23, it looked like he was in the major leagues for good, but he went just 5-5, and injured his elbow. He underwent Tommy John surgery, and sat out the 2015 season.

Despite having a good curveball and a decent changeup, he continued to struggle with injuries upon his return, going 3-4 in 2016, 2-6 in 2017, and 8-10 in 2018. After the season, he married Carli Miles. They had not yet had any children. He began the 2019 season on the Injured List as well, but came off it on April 26, and had a record of 7-7 with a 4.29 ERA and a 1.268 WHIP. In other words, about average.

The Angels are currently in Texas to play the Texas Rangers. They are staying at a hotel in the Dallas suburb of Southlake. Tonight was supposed to be the series opener, and Skaggs was scheduled to pitch the finale, on the 4th of July.

But he didn't show up at the team bus this afternoon, and his hotel room was checked. He was found, dead. He was not quite 28 years old. So far, the police will only say that they do not suspect foul play.

His life and his career come to an end with a record of 28-38, a 4.41 ERA, and a 1.331 WHIP. All 96 of his major league appearances were as a starter. The Angels won the American League Western Division in 2014, but he was injured, and unavailable for the Playoffs.

Now, tragically, he will never be available again.

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Of the 30 current Major League Baseball teams: The Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and Minnesota Twins have each lost 7 players on their rosters to death. In the Twins' case, 5 of them were from 1901 to 1960, when they were the original Washington Senators.

The Angels, the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates have each lost 6. The Atlanta Braves, the Cleveland Indians and the San Francisco Giants have each lost 5, but all of the Braves' losses were while they were in Boston, and 3 of the Giants' were while they were in New York.

The Philadelphia Phillies have lost 4. Losing 3 each have been the Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers (all in Brooklyn), the Detroit Tigers, the Houston Astros, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Oakland Athletics (all in Philadelphia). In the Brewers' case, it was Miguel Fuentes, shot and killed in the 1969-70 off-season, when they were still officially the Seattle Pilots.

The Baltimore Orioles and the San Diego Padres have each lost 2. Losing 1 each have been the Chicago White Sox, the Kansas City Royals, the Miami Marlins, the Seattle Mariners, the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays. The Mets, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Washington Nationals (including their time as the Montreal Expos) have never lost an active player.