Former MLB player Jason Conti, who played for Arizona Diamondbacks, dies at 50
The Arizona Diamondbacks announced the death of former outfielder Jason Conti on social media Monday.
He was 50 years old.
"We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of former outfielder Jason Conti," the team posted on X. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Jason's family and friends at this time."
Conti was drafted by the Diamondbacks in their first MLB draft class out of Pittsburgh in 1996. He played for the Diamondbacks in 52 games in 2000 and 2001, hitting .232 with one home run and 15 RBIs before being traded with Nick Bierbrodt to the Tampa Bay Rays for Mike DiFelice and Albie Lopez.
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He later became a chef and in recent years had worked as chef for Craftsman Cocktails and Kitchen in Tempe.
Conti also played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers, seeing action in 182 games over his five-year career, with six home runs, 47 RBIs and a .238 batting average.
Kevin Kramer, Conti's teammate at Pittsburgh, shared last month on Instagram that Conti was on life support after suffering a severe brain injury, but details of his injury were not released.
"Today I share the worst news imaginable - my friend, my Pitt teammate and @mlb @dbacks World Series champion Jason Conti suffered a severe brain injury and is on life support," Kramer posted. "Unfortunately, he is not going to survive past the weekend. I'm devastated - as a team we are devastated. Rest in peace my friend."
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Jason Conti death: Former Arizona Diamondbacks, MLB player dies at 50
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