Former MLB infielder Sean Burroughs suffered fentanyl intoxication when he collapsed and died in the parking lot at a Long Beach, California baseball field in May, the Los Angeles County medical examiner revealed.
Burroughs’ death was ruled an accident two months after he was found unconscious next to his car after dropping off his son, Knox, for a Little League game. The 43-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene after he remained unresponsive following CPR attempts to revive him.
Burroughs was the No. 9 overall pick by the San Diego Padres in the 1998 MLB Draft. He played four seasons with the Padres and one each with the Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks and Minnesota Twins.
After his stint with the Rays in 2005, Burroughs was out of baseball for several years while struggling with drug addiction and alcoholism. Then-D-backs general manager Kevin Towers, who was the Padres GM when Burroughs was drafted, gave him a comeback opportunity in 2011.
During his career, Burroughs hit .278 with a .690 OPS, 68 doubles, 12 home runs, 143 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 528 games. His best season was 2003, his first full major league season. He batted .286 with a .755 OPS, 27 doubles, seven homers, 58 RBI and seven steals that year.
In addition to his time in MLB, Burroughs also had an accomplished youth sports career. He was part of the Long Beach, California team that won back-to-back Little League World Series championships in 1992 and 1993.
In the 1993 Little League World Series, Burroughs pitched consecutive no-hitters, notching 16 strikeouts and batting .600.
“Sean was a legend in LLBL and the baseball community,” Long Beach Little League president Doug Wittman wrote on social media. “While he left [Long Beach] to play for several clubs in the MLB, he returned to his home fields at Stearns Champions Park to coach his son.
“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. To say this is a huge loss is an understatement.
Little League International noted Burroughs’ death on its website in May.
Burroughs also won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
“We at USA Baseball are heartbroken to hear of the tragic passing of Sean,” USA Baseball executive director/CEO Paul Seiler said in a statement. “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.”
Burroughs was the son of Jeff Burroughs, a 16-year major leaguer who was the No. 1 pick in the 1969 MLB Draft by the Washington Senators and won the American League MVP award in 1974 with the Texas Rangers.