Angel Echevarria, the former Bassick High School baseball star who went on to play eight years in the major leagues, died Friday at Bridgeport Hospital. He was 48.
Echevarria, who ran his own business, Simply Baseball out of The Factory in Norwalk, often gave free clinics to the youth of his native Bridgeport, where he was born in 1971 and still lived.
He was not feeling well Friday, fell and hit his head, according to his girlfriend of five years Jazmine Cox. His cause of death was unknown. Cox said Echevarria called her after his fall from his Bridgeport home.
“He was caring and generous and loved working with children,” said Cox, who met Echevarria when the two worked at The Factory (formerly The Batter’s Box) in Norwalk. He was always doing free clinics. He loved Bridgeport. Everyone will say he had a kind word for everyone. He was so giving, so generous, so full of life. He always wanted to give back. He would always say he grew up here, that Bridgeport made him who he was, and he was not going to leave.
“He was loved by so many,” Cox said. “It’s overwhleming the number of people who have reached out. It’s a testament to who he was. He lived, he shared, everyone learned from him. And not just baseball. That is where he shined. He used to tell me, ‘when I have a kid in the batting cages, I don’t want to teach them how to be a pro player, but how to be a great young man or young woman.”
Echevarria, an outfielder and first baseman, played for the Colorado Rockies (1996-2000), Milwaukee Brewers (2000-01) and Chicago Cubs (2002). He also played for the Rockies Class AA affiliate New Haven Ravens.
Echevarria is survived by his mother, Mercedes Echevarria and brother Jose Echevarria.
Angel Echevarria of the Chicago Cubs poses during spring training photo day at Fitch Park on Feb. 25, 2005, in Mesa, Ariz. Echevarria played in the Major Leagues from 1996-2002, was born in Bridgeport.
Photo: Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images
Photo: Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images
Former Bassick, MLB standout Angel Echevarria dies at 48
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“He really was living his best life,” Cox said. “It’s a shame it was cut short. He had so much more to give.”