Former Baseball Player Ryan Freel Found Dead From Apparent Suicide

By Greg Price | December 23 2012 1:53 PM

Former Major League Baseball player Ryan Freel was found dead in his home in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday from an apparent suicide.

Reuters

Freel played with Baltimore Orioles in 2009.

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Freel, 36, reportedly died from a self-inflicted shotgun wound. He spent eight seasons in the majors as a utility player with five teams, including six seasons with the Cincinnati Reds.

"The Reds family is deeply saddened to hear of the death of Ryan Freel," the team said in a statement. "His teammates and our fans loved him for how hard he played the game, and he loved giving back to the community. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."

Freel hit .268 with 22 home runs and 122 RBIs in 594 career games, playing for Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Chicago Cubs. He last played for the Royals in 2009.

The Blue Jays drafted Freel in the 10th round of the 1995 draft, but he didn’t make his major league debut until 2001.

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