Former Rockies Player Angel Echevarria Dies Suddenly At 48

Angel Echevarria, a Connecticut native who was a star baseball player in high school before embarking on a Major League Baseball playing and coaching career, died Friday at a hospital after he fell in his home and struck his head, according to multiple media reports.

Echevarria, 48, was a 1989 Bassick High School graduate who was drafted out of Rutgers University in the 17th round by the Colorado Rockies in 1992. At Rutgers, he was a three-time Atlantic 10 all-conference player, and left the school as the program's career leader with 31 home runs and 145 runs batted in.

He made his Major League debut with the Rockies in 1996, and played six seasons with Colorado, the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs through 2002. In his big league career, the outfielder-first baseman batted .280 with 21 homers and 90 RBI in over 328 games. He also played two years in Japan.

After working for two years as the Brewers' hitting coach, Echevarria founded Simply Baseball in 2013. Operating out of The Factory (formerly The Batter's Box) in Norwalk, Simply Baseball provides individual and group instruction to youngsters, as well as professional coaching clinics.

As a part of the Major League Baseball Alumni Association, Echevarria also frequently participated in free clinics, alongside other former big league stars such as Jim Bouton, Graig Nettles and Dave Fleming.

MLB Network analyst Preston Wilson wrote on Twitter, "Angel. A kind soul, a friend, a man who loved his family. Today things feel a little darker, colder and emptier. Thank you for sharing your time, smiles and kindness."

A memorial fund has been set up for Echevarria on GoFundMe.

Report written by Patch editor Tim Jensen