Former first-round MLB draft pick, Sean Burroughs died at the age of 43 on Thursday while coaching Little League game of his son, which was announced to be held on Friday. Cause of his death was not immediately after his death. He was also a two-time winner of Little League World Series with Long Beach, California.
“I have had the privilege of coaching with Sean for the past two years and he always came with a fun and friendly attitude the kids were drawn to, a wealth of baseball knowledge that could get any kid out of a batting rut and humility worth emulating,” as per statement released by Long Beach Little League president Doug Wittman. “To say this is a huge loss is an understatement.”
Sean Burroughs was son of 1974 AL MVP Jeff Burroughs who firstly starred the Little League World Series stage. He made Long Beach won consecutive LLWS titles in 1992 and 1993 and by this Long Beach become the first U.S. league to win this title. Burroughs become first American player to throw back-to-back no-hitters and made history during his Long Beach’s 1993 title run. He also made 600 batting average at the plate as well.
“We mourn the passing of former Padres third baseman Sean Burroughs,” as released by the Padres on X , formerly known as Twitter. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this very difficult time.”
He had also played total seven seasons in the majors, such as the Padres (2002-05), Tampa Bay Rays (2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2011) and Minnesota Twins (2012). He remained away from baseball for four years as he was struggling with a substance abuse during that period and this also took away his aspirations and his dreams.
Sean also won gold medal along with his squad in Team USA in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He has made 528 MLB appearances, hitting .278/.335/.355 with 12 home runs and 143 RBIs.
“We at USA Baseball are heartbroken to hear of the tragic passing of Sean,” according to USA Baseball executive director/CEO Paul Seiler. “Sean was a part of one of our most beloved teams, and he represented our country on and off the field in a first-class manner. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Burroughs family during this time.”