Corey Phelan Cause of Death Heartbreaking: Young Phillies Minor Leaguer Dead at 20
Corey Phelan, a young minor league pitcher who became Phillies' prospect, died at the young age of 20, the organization announced.
The Phillies Player Development's official Twitter page shared the tragic news about Phelan's death, saying that the young man untimely died on Wednesday.
"Corey's positive presence and selflessness influenced everyone around him. While he was incredibly passionate about the game of baseball, his love for his family and his strong faith superseded everything else," the statement reads.
The team also delivered its condolences to the bereaved family, teammates, and friends who supported him until his death.
His official MiLB page revealed that Phelan suffered from non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which he had been diagnosed with in April.
According to the American Cancer Society, non-Hodgkin lymphoma starts in a person's white blood cells or lymphocytes. It can begin in one of the three major types of white blood cells: B lymphocytes, Natural Killer cells, and T lymphocytes.
The Phillies family thanked everyone who supported Phelan in his courageous battle against the dreaded disease.
Phillies Director of Player Development Preston Mattingly also paid tribute to the young athlete (via USA Today), calling him a special person who always lit up everyone he got in contact with.
Although Phelan's supposed career with the Phillies was cut short, the director assured everyone that his memory and legacy would live on, especially in the organization.
Corey Phelan Receives Heartwarming Messages
Following his death, athletes, fans, and friends shared heartfelt messages with him through online posts. Some also shared that they offered silence for the young athlete.
This is crushing.
— Alex Carr (@AlexCarrMLB) October 14, 2022
My thoughts go out to the Phelan family, and Corey's teammates and coaches. By all accounts a fantastic person, teammate, and ballplayer. Heartbreaking. https://t.co/Rwi79K7idy
Phelan already started his minor-league journey. But despite that, he already had his empire in sports and earned approvals from people in the big-league clubhouse.
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After the 2020 MLB Draft, he was tapped to become an undrafted free agent out of high school. A year later, Phelan notably made five appearances in the Florida Complex.
During this, he posted a 0.93 ERA and only allowed one run in 9 2/3 innings of work, per CBS Sports.
Before his death, he stopped playing temporarily to receive treatment but still reserved time to visit the big-league club several times in Philadelphia. He also visited Citi Field in New York.
