List of baseball players who died during their careers
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This is a list of baseball players who died during their careers. While some of these deaths occurred during a game, the majority were the result of accidents off the field, illnesses, acts of violence, or suicide.

Repeated studies have shown that contemporary Major League Baseball players have a greater life expectancy than males in the general U.S. population — about five years more, on average, which is attributed to their superior fitness and healthy lifestyles. The longer the active career, the longer the player lives, on average. This correlation is attributed to the maintenance of fitness and increased wealth.[1]
Deaths of active players
This is a list of notable deaths in baseball and untimely deaths of active professional baseball players.
| † | Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame |
|---|
Major League Baseball
The following Major League Baseball players died during their careers.
Former major-league players still active in professional baseball at the time of their death
Minor League Baseball
Players in this section did not play above the Minor League Baseball level; they are listed with their final minor-league team along with its major-league affiliation, if any.
Nippon Professional Baseball
| Player | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lou Jackson | 33 | Outfielder | Sankei Atoms | pancreatic necrosis | 1969 | [124] |
| Hiroyuki Oze | 24 | Outfielder | Orix Buffaloes | suicide | 2010 | [125] |
| Yūsuke Kinoshita | 27 | Pitcher | Chunichi Dragons | myocarditis | 2021 | [126] |
KBO League
| Player | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kim Young-Sin (baseball) | 24 | Catcher | OB Bears | Drowning suspected to be suicide | 1986 | [127] |
| Kim Dae-Hyeon (pitcher, born 1962) | 26 | Pitcher | Haitai Tigers | car accident | 1988 | [128] |
| Kim Sang-Jin (pitcher, born 1977) | 22 | Pitcher | Haitai Tigers | stomach cancer | 1999 | [129] |
| Lee Kyoo-hwan (baseball) | 22 | Outfielder | Doosan Bears | fell down the stairs | 2012 | [130] |
| Lee Doo-hwan | 24 | First baseman | KIA Tigers | Osteosarcoma | 2012 | [131] |
| Lee Jang-hui (baseball) | 24 | Infielder | LG Twins | found dead after falling near a parking lot | 2013 | [132] |
| Braulio Lara | 30 | Pitcher | SK Wyverns | car accident | 2019 | [133] |
| Andy Marte | 33 | Infielder | KT Wiz | car accident | 2017 | [134] |
| Kim Sung-Hun (pitcher, born 1998) | 21 | pitcher | Hanwha Eagles | death in a fall from a building | 2019 | [135] |
Negro leagues
Dutch League Baseball
| Player | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartog Hamburger | 37 | Infielder | OVVO | hit by line drive ball on head | 1924 | [142] |
College baseball
| Player | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sang Ho Baek | 20 | Pitcher | George Mason | blood clot from complications from Tommy John surgery | 2021 | [143] |
| Curtis Brenneman | 17 | Second baseman | Gettysburg | struck on head by a pitch | 1926 | [144] |
| Derek Becker | 21 | Middle infielder | Keiser | homicide, gunshot | 2020 | [145] |
| Chris Lane | 22 | Catcher | East Central | homicide, gunshot | 2013 | [146] |
| Robert Brown | 19 | unknown | Howard County JC | electrocuted while erecting a foul pole that fell on a powerline | 1953 | [147] |
| Randy Collins | 22 | Pitcher / Outfielder | Vanderbilt | automobile crash | 1973 | [148] |
| Donny Everett | 19 | Pitcher | Vanderbilt | drowned | 2016 | [149] |
| Joseph Geddings | 20 | Catcher | Appalachian State | struck on head by a pitch | 1964 | [150] |
| Ira Goodlet | 18 | unknown | Arkansas Cumberland | struck on head by a pitch | 1908 | [151] |
| James Mair | — | Second baseman | Monmouth | cerebral hemorrhage, collided with a teammate | 1896 | [152] |
| Hervey Mangham | 19 | Right fielder | Louisiana State | struck on head by a pitch | 1908 | [153] |
| Drew Medford | 18 | Pitcher | TCU | Automobile accident | 2016 | [154] |
| Cassel Mowrey | 21 | First baseman | West Virginia | struck on head by a pitch | 1923 | [155] |
| Gene Reynolds | 18 | unknown | Howard County JC | electrocuted while erecting a foul pole that fell on a powerline | 1953 | [147] |
| Tim Trunk | 19 | Pitcher | Bradley | automobile crash | 1989 | [156] |
| Kyle Valentine | 21 | Pitcher | Hartford | brain aneurysm | 2004 | [157] |
| Walter Zorn | 19 | unknown | St. John's (Kansas) | struck on head by a pitch | 1950 | [158] |
See also
- Jim Creighton - Brooklyn Excelsiors's second baseman and superstar pitcher of the amateur era who died aged 21 of a ruptured abdominal hernia caused by the force of his own pitch in 1862.
- Lou Gehrig - New York Yankees's first baseman who was forced into retirement after being diagnosed with ALS, he would ultimately die from the disease, two years later in 1941.
- Sportspeople who died during their careers
- List of Major League Baseball players who died in wars
Notes
- Crews played his entire six-year career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the end of the 1992 season he became a free agent and signed with the Cleveland Indians on January 22, 1993. He died during spring training.
- Hill's only major league playing experience was with the Minnesota Twins in 1969 and '70. About three weeks after the 1970 season ended, Hill was traded to St. Louis. However, Hill never actually played for St. Louis, as he died during that off-season.
- Technically, Kennedy was a free agent at the time of his death, having been granted free agency by Toronto about three weeks prior.
- Technically, Koenecke had just been cut from the Dodgers and his contract sold to the minor league Rochester Red Wings. This occurred less than 24 hours before his death. With the season coming to an end Koenecke was not expected to report to Rochester, but was instead sent on a plane home to New York City.
- Macko last played in August of 1980, when he was injured in a game. The injury was severe enough to keep him on the disabled list for the rest of 1980. In the course of doctor's examinations over the winter in early 1981, Macko was discovered to have cancer, which he fought through 1981. He traveled with the Cubs and remained on the disabled list through the entire 1981 season.
- Technically, McJames was no longer actively involved in baseball at the time of his death. He had been released by Brooklyn in July, due the effects of tuberculosis. McJames was working as a doctor at the time of his death nine weeks later in September; the tuberculosis which ended his baseball career was a factor in his death.
- Montgomery's only major league playing experience came with the Boston Braves in 1941. He was sold to the Giants in February of 1942, and spent spring training with the Giants. Montgomery died in a car accident on the trip north, before the start of the regular season.
- O'Brien played for the Boston Reds in 1891 but was under contract with the St. Louis Browns at the time of his death before the start of the 1892 season.
- Sharman was one of eight one-time Major League Baseball players known either to have been killed or died from illness while serving in the armed forces during World War I, but the only one who went directly from a major league career (concluding the 1917 season with the A's) to the military.
- Technically, Sharperson was still a minor league player at the time of his death. The Padres had summoned Sharperson to join the major league team, to be on hand if he were needed in the event of an injury. (Sharperson died on the journey.) However, he had not been activated as a major league player at the time of his death, and quite possibly might not have been activated even had he arrived safely. Sharperson had last been on a major league roster with the Atlanta Braves in 1995.
- Barrios was a free agent at the time of his death, although he was reportedly about to sign a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers on the day he died. He had last been on a major league roster in 1981, with the Chicago White Sox.
- Bond, who had been diagnosed with leukemia in 1962, had been playing with the Minnesota Twins until he was released on May 15, 1967. He was picked up by the Jacksonville Suns, the triple-A team of the New York Mets, but only played three games with Jacksonville before he had to enter a hospital for treatment. He died September 14.
- Grosart signed with the Toledo Mud Hens prior to the 1902 season and was with them during spring training; he had last played for the Dayton Old Soldiers during the 1901 season.
- Krug last played for the Indianapolis Indians in 1907 but was under contract with the minor league Johnstown Johnnies at the time of his death in January 1908.