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Artist makes mural of deceased Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs in Santa Monica

By Alex Butler
Former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs was found dead in the team hotel July 1 in Southlake, Texas. His cause of death has not been determined. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs was found dead in the team hotel July 1 in Southlake, Texas. His cause of death has not been determined. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

July 18 (UPI) -- An artist painted a large mural of Tyler Skaggs near Santa Monica High School, where the deceased Los Angeles Angels pitcher attended before entering the big leagues.

Skaggs died July 1 while at the team hotel in Southlake, Texas. He was found hours before the Angels were set to take on the Texas Rangers. No official cause of death has been announced, but police have ruled out suicide.

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The Angels have had numerous tributes to Skaggs since his death. Players from around the league have also mourned the 27-year-old pitcher in different ways over the last several weeks.

Jonas Never painted the portrait of Skaggs. The former Angels star is smiling and tossing a ball up with his left hand in the depiction.

"Proud to be a paint this mural for Tyler Skaggs right across from Samohi [Santa Monica High School]," Never wrote for the caption on a photo of the wall he posted to Instagram. "(Where both of us played baseball ... though he was much, much better)."

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Skaggs' wife Carli and his mother, Debbie Skaggs have visited the mural, according to Never. Former Philadelphia Phillies utility man Trevor Plouffe -- a close friend to Skaggs -- commented on the Instagram post.

"So awesome," Plouffe wrote. "SanMo needed that."

Never has also painted public murals of the United States Women's National Team, Anthony Bourdain and Nipsey Hussle, among other portraits in Southern California.

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