SoapZone Community Message Board
| Subject: | Former MLB player Ryan Freel dies of apparent suicide |
| From: | CanaryFan98   |
| Date: | Sun, 23-Dec-2012 8:06:03 AM PST |
| Where: | SoapZone Community Message Board |
| In reply to: | ~~~Weekend Chat Post~~~~ posted by SoftSoap |
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Rich Pilling/MLB Photos/Getty Images
Ryan Freel hit .268 with 143 stolen bases in 594 career games, mostly with the Cincinnati Reds.
Ryan Freel, who played for five teams over an eight-year major league career, was found dead in his Florida home Saturday as a result of a self-inflicted shotgun wound, Jacksonville police said.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said they were treating the 36-year-old Freel's death as a suicide.
Freel, who grew up in Jacksonville, last played in the majors in 2009 when he played for four organizations.
In June he had been named the baseball coach at St. Joseph Academy in Jacksonville, but the Florida Times-Union reported that he later backed out of the job.
The former utility player's best stretch came with the Cincinnati Reds from 2004-06 when he stole 110 bases over the three seasons. He played a career-high 143 games and hit .277 with 28 RBIs in 2004.
On Twitter, Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, who played with Freel from 2006-08, reacted with sadness to his former teammate's passing.
"#RIP?? to my friend & great teammate #RyanFreel! Really hurt by his passing! You'll never will be forgotten," he wrote.
