| Ryan Freel | |
|---|---|
 Freel with the Kansas City Royals | |
| Utility player | |
| Born: March 8, 1976 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | |
| Died: December 22, 2012 (aged 36) Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 4, 2001, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 4, 2009, for the Kansas City Royals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .268 |
| Home runs | 22 |
| Runs batted in | 122 |
| Stolen bases | 143 |
| Teams | |
Ryan Paul Freel (March 8, 1976 – December 22, 2012) was an American professional baseball player. A utility player, Freel played second base, third base, and all three outfield positions in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays between 2001 and 2009.
On December 22, 2012, Freel committed suicide, and was subsequently the first MLB player to be diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy.[1][2]
- ^ "Ryan Freel, former MLB player from Jacksonville, commits suicide". Firstcoastnews.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- ^ Smith, Stephanie; Dan Moriarty (December 15, 2013). "First Major League Baseball player diagnosed with CTE". CNN. Retrieved December 16, 2013.