Ken Caminiti, 1996 NL MVP, dies at age 41
by Ben Walker
AP Baseball Writer
October 11, 2004

(c) Houston Astros

NEW YORK (AP) -- Ken Caminiti, the 1996 National League MVP who later admitted using steroids during his major league career, died Sunday. He was 41.

Caminiti died of a heart attack in the Bronx, said his agent-lawyer Rick Licht. The city medical examiner's office said an autopsy would be performed Monday, spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

"I'm still in shock," San Diego Padres general manager Kevin Towers said. "He was one of my favorite all-time players."

The three-time All-Star third baseman often was in trouble the last few years. His 15-year big league career ended in 2001, five seasons after he led the Padres to a division title and was a unanimous pick for MVP.

Just last Tuesday, he admitted in a Houston court that he violated his probation by testing positive for cocaine last month, and was sentenced to 180 days in jail.

But state District Judge William Harmon gave Caminiti credit for the 189 days he already served in jail and a treatment facility since he was sentenced to three years probation for a cocaine arrest in March 2001.

In May 2002, Caminiti told Sports Illustrated that he used steroids during his MVP season, when he hit a career-high .326 with 40 home runs and 130 RBIs. He estimated half the players in the big leagues were also using them.

Licht said Caminiti hoped to get back into the game, possibly in a position that would allow him to mentor younger players about avoiding the mistakes he made. Caminiti did return to baseball this year, serving as a spring training instructor with San Diego.

"He didn't look good," Towers said. "I'm not surprised.

"The best way to describe him is that he was a warrior in every sense of the word. I can't tell you how many times I remember him hobbling into the manager's office, barely able to walk, and saying, `Put me in the lineup.'"

Licht said Caminiti was in New York this past weekend to help a friend, but did not go into detail.

"Man, that's just a tough one. I played with him for eight years," Dodgers outfielder Steve Finley said Sunday night, learning of Caminiti's death after St. Louis eliminated Los Angeles from the playoffs.

"He was a great player, but he got mixed up in the wrong things - taking drugs. It's a sad reminder of how bad drugs are and what they can do to your body. It's a loss all of us will feel."

Caminiti batted .272 with 239 homers and 983 RBIs with Houston, San Diego, Texas and Atlanta.

Caminiti's defining moment during his MVP season came on Aug. 18, 1996, in the oppressive heat of Monterrey, Mexico, as the Padres prepared to face the New York Mets in the finale of the first regular-season series played outside the United States and Canada.

Battling dehydration and an upset stomach, Caminiti took two liters of intravenous fluid, then hit two home runs for four RBIs in an 8-0 victory.

"I didn't think I was going to play that day," he recalled after the season. "I'd have to thank the training staff for getting me on the field that day. They made a bigger deal than I thought it was."

Towers and Licht both recalled the enormous ovation Caminiti received during a 2003 ceremony marking the Padres' farewell at Qualcomm Stadium. The team moved into a new ballpark this season.

Licht said he had to go to Houston to persuade Caminiti to make an appearance, and Towers remembered the former star was nervous.

"He didn't know what kind of reaction he would get," Towers said.

After being showered with cheers, Caminiti told Licht it was his greatest day in baseball.

"It's a shame for his family as much as it is for his friends," former Padres teammate Andy Ashby said. "He's got three daughters who are going to miss having dad around. It's a shame. It's a terrible thing."

Caminiti teamed with Tony Gwynn and Greg Vaughn in the middle of the Padres' 1998 lineup, leading them to the World Series, where they got swept by the New York Yankees.

"I'm saddened by the news. He was a terrific kid, it's unfortunate," Houston manager Phil Garner, who coached Caminiti, said from Atlanta. "What we all loved about Cammy was his devotion to the game and his desire for the game. But it went into uncontrollable levels with no discipline."

AP Sports Writers Bernie Wilson and Joel Anderson contributed to this story.

Caminiti dies of heart attack
By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com

Ken Caminiti, the 1996 NL MVP, died of a heart attack at 41 on Sunday. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)

LOS ANGELES -- Ken Caminiti, the 1996 National League Most Valuable Player while playing for the San Diego Padres, died Sunday. He was 41. Caminiti's agent-lawyer, Rick Licht, told San Diego majority owner John Moores that Caminiti died of a heart attack in the Bronx. Licht said that New York City's medical examiner's office would perform an autopsy on Monday.

"I'm absolutely devastated," said Moores, who purchased the Padres just before the start of the 1995 season. "I don't know what to make of it."

Caminiti spent 15 years in the Majors and was a three-time All-Star third baseman. He won the NL MVP Award in 1996.

Out of baseball since 2001, Caminiti drifted in and out of trouble. Just last week, he said in a Houston court that he had violated his probation by testing positive for cocaine, and he was sentenced to 180 days in jail.

In 2002, Caminiti admitted using steroids during his MVP season, when he batted .326 with 40 home runs and 130 RBIs.

"Man, that's just a tough one," the Dodgers' Steve Finley told the AP after learning of Caminiti's death. "I played with him for eight years. He was a great player, but he got mixed up in the wrong things -- taking drugs. It's a sad reminder of how bad drugs are and what they can do to your body. It's a loss all of us will feel."

Caminiti's Padre tenure began in conjunction with Moores' purchase of the team. He was obtained from the Houston Astros in a 10-player trade that included Finley on Dec. 28, 1994, and played for the Padres' NL West winners in 1996 and San Diego's last NL pennant-winning team in 1998. Caminiti left the Padres via free agency after the 1998 season.

Moores remained close with Caminiti and flew him out to San Diego last year for the team's final series ever at Qualcomm Stadium. Moores said he had been contemplating giving Caminiti a job in the Padres organization.

"It wasn't going to happen this coming season, but it was definitely on the table," Moores said, fighting back tears. "I'm upset, Rick's upset and my wife Becky is very upset. It just is what it is."

Caminiti had documented problems with alcohol abuse during his first tour with the Astros, but was best known for his gutsy performances while he was with the Padres.

The story of his recovery from the flu during an August 1996 trip to Monterrey, Mexico, where the Padres played the Mets was legend. Caminiti was prone on the clubhouse floor in Estadio Monterrey and took fluids intravenously so he could play in a Sunday afternoon game.

He scraped himself off the floor and hit two homers in the game, an 8-0 Padres victory. That season, Caminiti hit .326 with 40 homers and 130 RBIs and was named the only NL MVP in San Diego's 36-year MLB history. But his skills began to erode quickly.

"The best way to describe him is that he was a warrior in every sense of the word," said Padres general manager Kevin Towers. "I can't tell you how many times I remember him hobbling into the manager's office, barely able to walk, and saying, 'Put me in the lineup.'"

The Padres have had other former star players die young. Pitcher Eric Show and second baseman Alan Wiggins, both core players on the 1984 NL championship team, passed away from drug-related problems. Show, then 38 years old, died in a rehabilitation center from a drug overdose. Wiggins was 33 when he died of AIDS, which he contracted because of drug needle use.

Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Statement from Padres chairman John Moores on Caminiti's death

Becky and I are grief-stricken at the premature death of one of the bravest athletes that we have known. We admired Ken tremendously and remained optimistic that he would conquer the personal challenges that he was dealing with during the past several years.

Though we lost a dear friend today, we are thankful that we were able to watch one of baseball's consummate craftsmen at work. Ken's immense talent was driven by a tremendous work ethic and an insurmountable passion for the game. He will be deeply missed by the entire Padres' organization.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Nancy, his children and the entire Caminiti family.