Shawn Burroughs, an icon of baseball in Long Beach, has died at the age of 43
Shawn Burroughs, the famed baseball player who led the Long Beach All-Stars to two World League titles and played seven seasons in the major leagues, died Thursday. He was 43.
Long Beach Little League President Doug Wittman confirmed Burrows' death. The cause of death was cardiac arrest, Burrows' mother Debbie said in a text message sent to Southern California News Group.
According to Wittman, Burroughs was found unconscious next to his car in the parking lot of Stearns Champions Park in Long Beach after taking his six-year-old son Knox to a Little League game. CPR was administered, but Burroughs was unresponsive. Long Beach Fire Department personnel arrived on a 9-1-1 call, but Burroughs was pronounced dead at the scene.
"It was very shocking", Wittman said. "There's a family atmosphere in Long Beach Little League. So when we lose one of our own, it really hurts".
Long Beach Little League announced Burroughs' death Friday in a statement posted on Instagram.
Burroughs was an assistant coach on his son's team. When he did not arrive in time for the start of the game, those around him became concerned and went looking for him, and then he was found.
Prior to his major league career, Burroughs was one of the most decorated amateur baseball players in history. The son of 1974 American League Most Valuable Player Jeff Burroughs, Sean served as a pitcher and hitter on the Long Beach teams that won consecutive Little League World Series in 1992 and 1993. As a 12-year-old, he made several no-hitters in the LLWS and appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman.
He went on to play at Long Beach Wilson High School and was drafted ninth overall by the San Diego Padres in 1998. As a member of the U.S. National Baseball Team, he won an Olympic gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and made his major league debut for the Padres in 2002.
In four seasons with the Padres as a starting third baseman, Burroughs scored 282 runs but hit just 11 home runs before being traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2006. He hit just .190 home runs in eight games for Tampa Bay before being released.
He played four games for the Mariners in Triple-A in 2007 before retiring from baseball.
In a 2011 interview with ESPN's Jim Caple, Burroughs revealed that he struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction in the final seasons of his career.
"I've been around bad people and done bad things", Burroughs told ESPN. "That's been more important to me the last couple years of playing ball and the last few years.
"I was kind of a garbage can", he added. "Anything I needed, I would find and take. I wasn't an out-of-town guy. Whatever I had or needed, I found it and took it. I just tried to stuff myself with as many substances as I could, legal or illegal".
After living in Las Vegas for three years, Burroughs cleared waivers and returned to the big leagues. He appeared in 78 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011 and 10 games for the Minnesota Twins in 2012. He played 53 games for the Dodgers' affiliate in Chattanooga in 2013 and finished his career playing in the independent Atlantic League from 2014-17.
After his playing career ended, Burroughs earned his EMT license in 2018 and began working as a safety inspector at Allied Universal, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He also actively coached his son in the Long Beach Little League, the same league he made famous 30 years ago.
"He was a Long Beach legend", Wittman said. "I was fortunate enough to coach him the last couple years, our kids were on the same team, and he was just a joy to be around. Always smiling, very positive. (He brings a fresh perspective to youth sports. He just makes it fun for the kids. In a world where youth sports are very, very competitive, he brings something better to it and makes it really fresh and free for the kids, which is fantastic".
Burroughs is survived by his son Knox, mother Debbie and father Jeff.