FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler died Monday, less than 24 hours after complaining of dizziness during a spring training workout.
Team officials said the 23-year-old prospect was pronounced dead at Northridge Medical Center, where he had been in intensive care overnight. His wife, Kiley, due to deliver the couple's first child in April, was at his bedside.
Bechler was pale and feeling lightheaded Sunday while completing his final conditioning run at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. The initial diagnosis was heat exhaustion and dehydration, but his condition worsened after he arrived at the hospital by ambulance.
"Steve was a tough guy; he was a competitor," manager Mike Hargrove said. "I didn't know him that well, but I knew him well enough to know he loved the game and loved to compete."
Bechler, a third-round draft pick in 1998, made his major league debut last September, going 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA in three relief appearances. He was expected to begin this season with the club's new Triple-A affiliate in Ottawa.
He spent most of last season at Triple-A Rochester, going 6-11 with a 4.09 ERA in 24 starts.
The players were briefed about Bechler's condition during a clubhouse meeting before Monday's workout. They were summoned inside a short while later and told of his death.
"They told us about the situation, and everybody was in shock," Orioles pitcher Rodrigo Lopez said.
On Sunday, Hargrove said he could tell Bechler wasn't feeling well toward the end of the conditioning run.
"He was about 60 percent of the way through it when we noticed that he was a little white-faced," Hargrove said. "He was leaning against a fence ... which isn't unusual when guys get tired. We put him on a cart and brought him in and called the paramedics."
In 2001, heatstroke was blamed for the death of Vikings lineman Korey Stringer, who collapsed during training camp. Stringer's widow has filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against the team and its doctors.
Last season, baseball was stunned by the death of St. Louis pitcher Darryl Kile. He died in June from blocked coronary arteries while in Chicago for a game.
Player deaths during spring training were almost unheard of until recently.
Almost a year ago to the day, San Diego outfielder Mike Darr was killed in a car crash near the Padres' spring camp in Peoria, Ariz. Darr died on Feb. 15, 2002.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How very sad - only 23 years old.
Team officials said the 23-year-old prospect was pronounced dead at Northridge Medical Center, where he had been in intensive care overnight. His wife, Kiley, due to deliver the couple's first child in April, was at his bedside.
Bechler was pale and feeling lightheaded Sunday while completing his final conditioning run at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. The initial diagnosis was heat exhaustion and dehydration, but his condition worsened after he arrived at the hospital by ambulance.
"Steve was a tough guy; he was a competitor," manager Mike Hargrove said. "I didn't know him that well, but I knew him well enough to know he loved the game and loved to compete."
Bechler, a third-round draft pick in 1998, made his major league debut last September, going 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA in three relief appearances. He was expected to begin this season with the club's new Triple-A affiliate in Ottawa.
He spent most of last season at Triple-A Rochester, going 6-11 with a 4.09 ERA in 24 starts.
The players were briefed about Bechler's condition during a clubhouse meeting before Monday's workout. They were summoned inside a short while later and told of his death.
"They told us about the situation, and everybody was in shock," Orioles pitcher Rodrigo Lopez said.
On Sunday, Hargrove said he could tell Bechler wasn't feeling well toward the end of the conditioning run.
"He was about 60 percent of the way through it when we noticed that he was a little white-faced," Hargrove said. "He was leaning against a fence ... which isn't unusual when guys get tired. We put him on a cart and brought him in and called the paramedics."
In 2001, heatstroke was blamed for the death of Vikings lineman Korey Stringer, who collapsed during training camp. Stringer's widow has filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against the team and its doctors.
Last season, baseball was stunned by the death of St. Louis pitcher Darryl Kile. He died in June from blocked coronary arteries while in Chicago for a game.
Player deaths during spring training were almost unheard of until recently.
Almost a year ago to the day, San Diego outfielder Mike Darr was killed in a car crash near the Padres' spring camp in Peoria, Ariz. Darr died on Feb. 15, 2002.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How very sad - only 23 years old.