Brandon Brown
Former major league infielder and Team USA gold medalist Sean Burroughs has died at age 43. Long Beach (California) Little League President and Board of Directors released the following statement on social media:
“It is with a heavy heart that I am writing this message to inform you that yesterday afternoon one of our coaches, Sean Burroughs, tragically passed away. Sean was a legend in the LBLL and the baseball community for winning consecutive Little League World Series Championships for LBLL in 1992 and 1993. While he left LB to play for several MLB clubs, he returned to his home at Stearns Champion Park to coach his son.
“I’ve had the privilege of coaching with Sean the past two years and he always came with a fun, friendly attitude that kids were drawn to, a wealth of baseball knowledge that could get any kid out of a hitting rut, and a humility that’s worth pity. emulate. To say this is a huge loss is an understatement, but what makes LBLL special is our community, we are a family that celebrates the highest moments and rises during the lowest moments.
“We will have his family in our thoughts and prayers during this time and will try to finish the season playing the type of baseball that Coach Sean would be proud of.”
According to Bob Nightengale of USA TodayBurroughs collapsed and died Thursday while coaching his son’s Little League team.
Burroughs, the son of 1974 American League MVP Jeff Burroughs, spent parts of seven seasons in Major League Baseball. Originally the 9th overall pick in 1998 out of Woodrow Wilson High School in California, Burroughs soon after became a member of the U.S. Olympic team that won gold in Sydney. He then reached the majors with the Padres as a 21-year-old in 2002. He spent four seasons with the Padres before serving limited roles with the Devil Rays in 2006.
Then came a period of years away from playing, and during that time Burroughs struggled with addiction. As he told ESPN’s Jim Caple in 2011:
“I was doing a lot of things that were not morally right and physically wrong. I was knocking on death’s door. It was pure madness, but I pulled myself together and am coming back from the fog I was in for so many years.
Burroughs, however, got his life in order, returned to baseball in 2011 and returned to the majors with the Diamondbacks. He last played in the MLB with the Twins in 2012. From there came stints in the minors, the Venezuelan and Mexican winter leagues and indy ball. One of his last teams, the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, acknowledged Burroughs’ passing on Friday:
Additionally, USA Baseball Executive Director and CEO Paul Seiler released the following statement:
“We at USA Baseball are heartbroken to learn of Sean’s tragic passing. Sean was part of one of our most beloved teams and 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.”
Burroughs’ MLB career ended with a slash line of .278/.335/.355 with 12 home runs in 528 games.
