Sean Burroughs cause of death: Ex-Padres 3B dies of accidental fentanyl overdose

Former San Diego Padres third baseman Sean Burroughs passed away earlier this year. The 43-year-old died on May 9 in Long Beach, California after collapsing in a parking lot near a baseball field where his son was set to play a Little League game.

"We mourn the passing of former Padres third baseman Sean Burroughs. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this very difficult time" - @Padres

Medical examiners have determined that Sean Burroughs passed away because of an accidental fentanyl overdose. According to Long Beach Little League president Doug Wittman, CPR was administered to Burroughs. Unfortunately, the attempts to revive him were ineffective. Burroughs was pronounced dead soon after.

The tragic passing of Burroughs rocked the MLB community in May as the former first-round pick had battled substance abuse issues throughout his career. After some decent seasons with the San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays, Burroughs did not play baseball during his prime, missing several years due to his battles with drug and alcohol addiction.

"Sean Burroughs was in the baseball spotlight from Little League to the Olympics to a 7-year career in the majors. A drug addiction almost ended his life more than a decade ago, but he recovered & made the most of his 2nd chance. Burroughs, 43, died May 9" - @rip_mlb

In a 2011 interview with Jim Caple of ESPN, Burroughs explained the extent of his battles with addiction and his determination to overcome his demons. After missing nearly five seasons of baseball, Burroughs overcame his substance abuse issues and was able to resume his MLB career.

Burroughs was able to play 88 more games in the majors between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Minnesota Twins. It was a major victory for the man who almost lost his life years earlier. Thoughts go out to Burroughs' family during this difficult time.

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Despite his battles with addiction, Sean Burroughs accomplished a number of successes in baseball

As a top-10 pick of the Padres in the MLB Draft, there was a tremendous amount of expectations placed on Burroughs and his future potential. While he may never have lived up to the hype surrounding him entering the MLB, he did enjoy a number of successful moments in his baseball career.

One of the biggest moments of his baseball career came in 2000 when the former San Diego Padres third baseman helped Team United States secure a gold medal during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Burroughs and former Houston Astros starter Roy Oswalt were part of the championship-winning team that defeated Cuba in the finals.