Tyler Wayne Skaggs was an American left-handed professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Angels from 2012 until his death in 2019. Tyler Skaggs was born in Woodland Hills, California, and is a graduate of Santa Monica High School.

His parents were athletes: his mother Debbie was a longtime head softball coach at Santa Monica High School, while his father Darnell played high school baseball as a shortstop.

His stepfather, Dan Ramos, played college baseball as well. Growing up, Skaggs attended his mother’s softball practices, where he assisted the players by fielding balls.

News of Skaggs’s death triggered an outpouring of grief in Major League Baseball. On July 2, Patrick Corbin of the Washington Nationals, who was drafted in the same round as Skaggs and had been traded with him to Arizona, switched his jersey number to Skaggs’s No. 45 for a game against the Miami Marlins.

Tyler Skaggs Death

According to media reports, on June 30, 2019Skaggs texted Eric Kay, the communications director for the Angels, asking for painkillers. That evening, Skaggs didn’t react to his better half Carli’s great night message, which she normally sent when he was out and about. The next day, Skaggs was observed lethargic in his lodging in Southlake, Texas.

He was articulated dead at around 2:18 pm when specialists showed up at the scene. Examiners found various pills in Skaggs’ lodging, including a 30 mg oxycodone pill, extra 5 mg oxycodone pills, a few enemies of inflammatories, and white powder on the floor.

Tyler Skaggs Cause of Death

Tyler Skaggs died of asphyxia after aspirating on his own vomit, and his death was ruled an accident. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner announced that the autopsy had uncovered a mix of fentanyl, oxycodone, and alcohol in Skaggs’s system and that he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.12.