Sean Murphy Dead: Oakland A’s Minor League Pitcher Dies at Age 27

Oakland Athletics minor league pitcher Sean Murphy unexpectedly died at age 27, the team announced on Tuesday, April 26.

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“The A’s are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Sean Murphy,” vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane said in a statement released on the A’s official Twitter account. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.” The baseball club did not provide any further details.

Murphy played six seasons on the A’s minor league farm teams. He was Oakland’s 33rd round pick out of Pennsylvania’s Keystone College in the 2010 draft. He reached the Triple-A level for the first time in 2014, but due to a "Tommy John” elbow surgery, Murphy missed all of the 2015 season.
In February, the pitcher was suspended by Major League Baseball for 50 games after testing positive for a “drug of abuse,” according to the official MILB website.