Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs dead at 27 years old

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died Monday at the age of 27, stunning Major League Baseball.

Skaggs was with the team in Texas when he was found unresponsive in his hotel room, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said they were investigating, but no foul play was suspected. Monday's game with the Rangers was postponed.

Skaggs was "an important part of the Angels Family," the team said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Carli, and his entire family during this devastating time."

Skaggs, who would have turned 28 on July 13 and was married in December, had been a regular in the Angels rotation since late 2016, when he returned from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery.

The lefthander pitched Saturday, giving up two runs in 4⅓ innings in a 4-0 home loss to Oakland. He was 7-7 with a 4.29 ERA this year and was scheduled to start Thursday at Texas.

Skaggs grew up in Santa Monica, Calif., on the west side of the sprawling Los Angeles metroplex, but rooted for the Angels instead of the Dodgers. His mother, Debbie, was the longtime softball coach at Santa Monica High.

He also grew up a Vikings fan, with no team in the Los Angeles area growing up. The Angels played the Twins when Target Field held SKOL Night in May, and Skaggs had his picture taken with Kirk Cousins, Harrison Smith and others. Skaggs attended the 2017 NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia with teammate Mike Trout, an Eagles fan.

The Twins tweeted support for the Angels, noting that in May, Skaggs was part a group of Angels and Twins to visit both Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul and the Children's Hospital of Orange County.

Twins slugger Nelson Cruz tweeted a photo of himself with Skaggs, Trout and Tony Oliva and a young patient during the Orange County visit, writing: "Sad to hear that another one of our brothers has left us. RIP Tyler Skaggs. Gone too soon."

Skaggs is the first active major leaguer to die in season since Marlins star pitcher Jose Fernandez was killed in a boating crash in September 2016. That January, Royals ace Yordano Ventura was killed in a car accident in the Dominican Republic.

The Angels drafted Skaggs in the first round in 2009 but dealt him to Arizona in 2010. Skaggs made 13 appearances over two seasons for the Diamondbacks before Los Angeles reacquired him in December 2013.

Cleveland's Trevor Bauer, who pitched with Skaggs in the Arizona organization, tweeted: "We came up together. We won together. We laughed and celebrated together. Today, we all lose and mourn together."