Former MLB outfielder and coach Lee Tinsley died Thursday at 53. No cause of death was announced.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Tinsley died in Scottsdale, Ariz. where he is “survived by three beautiful children.”
Tinsley’s brief major league career spanned five seasons from 1993 to 1997, where he played for the Mariners, Red Sox and Phillies. In 1994, he ranked second on the Red Sox with 13 stolen bases without being caught.
He started the 1995 campaign with a 14-game hitting streak and was moved from the bottom of the order to the leadoff spot. He also had a 15-game hitting streak in June. Tinsley hit a career-high .284 with 18 stolen bases in 100 games for the AL East champion Red Sox.
Tinsley later played in the Angels, Expos and Reds minor league systems as well as the Western Baseball League and Mexican League.
After his playing career, he served as a coach in the Diamondbacks, Angels, Mariners, Cubs and Reds’ organizations.
“We are sad to hear of Lee’s passing,” Reds Vice President and General Manager Lee Krall said. “Our thoughts are with his family and friends, inside and outside of the game.”
Lee Tinsley swings at a pitch for the Boston Red Sox during against the Texas Rangers on June 4, 1994 in Boston, Mass.
Lee Tinsley of the Montreal Expos is in action during a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals at the Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla.
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According to Tinsley’s LinkedIn page, he expressed his desire to get into “scouting, managing and front office roles.”
He last coached professional baseball in 2018, where he served as the hitting instructor for the Mobile BayBears — then the minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels.
Shelby County High School in Kentucky also paid tribute to its former standout.
“It is with great sadness and heavy hearts to hear of the passing of a ROCKET ICON AND LEGEND, one of the ALL TIME GREATS to EVER wear a ROCKET UNIFORM, Mr. Lee Tinsley. Rocket Nation sends our condolences to the Tinsley family,” the school tweeted.
Tinsley was a first-round selection out of high school by the A’s in 1987.
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