Nine of his closest friends around the baseball world will pay tribute to late Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs during Players’ Weekend starting Friday.
Skaggs passed away unexpectedly on July 1 in Texas at the age of just 27 years old.
It was another reminder of how fragile life is. It also represented yet another tragedy that has seemed to plague the sport in recent years.
Now less than two months after his passing, nine players will pay tribute to Skaggs during the annual Players’ Weekend.
“A group of nine players — Brewers outfielders Ryan Braun and Christian Yelich and third baseman Mike Moustakas, Nationals starter Patrick Corbin, White Sox starter Lucas Giolito, Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty, Braves starter Max Fried, and Rangers reliever Jesse Chavez and first baseman Scott Heineman — will wear jerseys with a tribute to Skaggs on the back in lieu of their previously chosen Players’ Weekend nicknames,” Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reported Wednesday.
Nicknames being used by these players include everything from “Forty Five,” a representation of Skaggs’ jersey number, to “I Love You TY.”
“Players’ Weekend is all about expressing yourself, whether that be with style or those types of things,” White Sox starter Lucas Giolito said. “We just want to express our love for him. It’s never going to end, despite his passing, and we are in support of his family as they continue to go through this hard time.”
It’s great to see these players remembering a man that was lost way too early. It should be an emotional scene at multiple parks around the Major League Baseball world this weekend.