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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler died Monday, less than 24 hours after complaining of dizziness during a spring training workout.
Team officials said the 23-year-old prospect was pronounced dead at Northridge Medical Center, where he had been in intensive care overnight. His wife, Kiley, due to deliver the couple's first child in April, was at his bedside.
The 6-foot-2, 239-pound Bechler was pale and feeling lightheaded Sunday while completing his final conditioning run at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. The initial diagnosis was heat exhaustion and dehydration, but his condition worsened after he arrived at the hospital by ambulance.
The National Weather Service said that at noon Sunday, the temperature in Fort Lauderdale was 81 degrees and the humidity was 74 percent.
"Steve was a tough guy; he was a competitor," manager Mike Hargrove said. "I didn't know him that well, but I knew him well enough to know he loved the game and loved to compete."
Bechler, a third-round draft pick in 1998, made his major league debut last September, going 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA in three relief appearances. He was expected to begin this season with the club's new Class AAA affiliate in Ottawa.
He spent most of last season at Class AAA Rochester, going 6-11 with a 4.09 ERA in 24 starts.
The players were briefed about Bechler's condition during a clubhouse meeting before Monday's workout. They were summoned inside a short while later and told of his death.
"They told us about the situation, and everybody was in shock," Orioles pitcher Rodrigo Lopez said.
Bechler was said to have reported to camp overweight. When asked about the pitcher's conditioning, Hargrove was quoted as saying it was "not good."
Bechler fell down while running drills on Sunday and Hargrove said he could tell Bechler wasn't feeling well toward the end of the run.
"He was about 60 percent of the way through it when we noticed that he was a little white-faced," Hargrove said. "He was leaning against a fence ... which isn't unusual when guys get tired. We put him on a cart and brought him in and called the paramedics."
In 2001, heatstroke was blamed for the death of Vikings lineman Korey Stringer, who collapsed during training camp. Stringer's widow has filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against the team and its doctors.
Last season, baseball was stunned by the death of St. Louis pitcher Darryl Kile. He died in June from blocked coronary arteries while in Chicago for a game.
Player deaths during spring training were almost unheard of until recently.
Almost a year ago to the day, San Diego outfielder Mike Darr was killed in a car crash near the Padres' spring camp in Peoria, Ariz. Darr died on Feb. 15, 2002.
In 1993, Cleveland Indians pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews were killed and teammate Bob Ojeda was seriously injured in a boating accident during spring training in Winter Haven, Fla.
Bechler played for the Medford (Ore.) Mustangs American Legion team in 1997.
General manager Don Schneider remembered him as a "good, hard-working young man who enjoyed life." "He was popular with his teammates, and enjoyed the competition. He'd pitch any time you asked him to," he said. "It's a tremendous loss to our program and this area. We were all looking forward to watching him play in the big leagues. We knew he would make it."
Team officials said the 23-year-old prospect was pronounced dead at Northridge Medical Center, where he had been in intensive care overnight. His wife, Kiley, due to deliver the couple's first child in April, was at his bedside.
The 6-foot-2, 239-pound Bechler was pale and feeling lightheaded Sunday while completing his final conditioning run at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. The initial diagnosis was heat exhaustion and dehydration, but his condition worsened after he arrived at the hospital by ambulance.
The National Weather Service said that at noon Sunday, the temperature in Fort Lauderdale was 81 degrees and the humidity was 74 percent.
"Steve was a tough guy; he was a competitor," manager Mike Hargrove said. "I didn't know him that well, but I knew him well enough to know he loved the game and loved to compete."
Bechler, a third-round draft pick in 1998, made his major league debut last September, going 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA in three relief appearances. He was expected to begin this season with the club's new Class AAA affiliate in Ottawa.
He spent most of last season at Class AAA Rochester, going 6-11 with a 4.09 ERA in 24 starts.
The players were briefed about Bechler's condition during a clubhouse meeting before Monday's workout. They were summoned inside a short while later and told of his death.
"They told us about the situation, and everybody was in shock," Orioles pitcher Rodrigo Lopez said.
Bechler was said to have reported to camp overweight. When asked about the pitcher's conditioning, Hargrove was quoted as saying it was "not good."
Bechler fell down while running drills on Sunday and Hargrove said he could tell Bechler wasn't feeling well toward the end of the run.
"He was about 60 percent of the way through it when we noticed that he was a little white-faced," Hargrove said. "He was leaning against a fence ... which isn't unusual when guys get tired. We put him on a cart and brought him in and called the paramedics."
In 2001, heatstroke was blamed for the death of Vikings lineman Korey Stringer, who collapsed during training camp. Stringer's widow has filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against the team and its doctors.
Last season, baseball was stunned by the death of St. Louis pitcher Darryl Kile. He died in June from blocked coronary arteries while in Chicago for a game.
Player deaths during spring training were almost unheard of until recently.
Almost a year ago to the day, San Diego outfielder Mike Darr was killed in a car crash near the Padres' spring camp in Peoria, Ariz. Darr died on Feb. 15, 2002.
In 1993, Cleveland Indians pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews were killed and teammate Bob Ojeda was seriously injured in a boating accident during spring training in Winter Haven, Fla.
Bechler played for the Medford (Ore.) Mustangs American Legion team in 1997.
General manager Don Schneider remembered him as a "good, hard-working young man who enjoyed life." "He was popular with his teammates, and enjoyed the competition. He'd pitch any time you asked him to," he said. "It's a tremendous loss to our program and this area. We were all looking forward to watching him play in the big leagues. We knew he would make it."