Darrel Wayne Akerfelds (June 12, 1962 - June 24, 2012) was a professional baseball pitcher. He also served as the bullpen coach of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres, from 2001 until his death. He also pitched in the major leagues in parts of five seasons from 1986 to 1991 for the Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies.

Early life and career

Akerfelds graduated in 1980 from Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado and played baseball at the University of Arkansas and Mesa State College.

He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the first round with the seventh overall pick in the 1983 Major League Baseball Draft. Just over five months later, he was traded to Oakland, with whom he made his major league debut in 1986. He appeared in two games for the A's before being traded to the Indians in July 1987. He spent much of the 1987 season in Cleveland, appearing in 16 games, 13 as a starter, with a win-loss record of 2-6 and a 6.75 ERA. After spending all of 1988 in the minor leagues, he was removed from the 40 man roster, then selected in the Rule 5 draft by the Texas Rangers.

After spending most of 1989 in the minor leagues, Akerfelds was on the move again. This time, his contract was purchased from Texas by the Philadelphia Phillies. Akerfelds' only full season in the majors came in 1990. He appeared in 71 games for the Phillies, all in relief. He had a 5-2 record with three saves and an ERA of 3.77.

Later career

Akerfelds started 1991 in the majors, but his ERA rose to 5.26, and he was returned to the minor leagues in July, where he was converted back into a starter. He started eleven games for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, but his ERA rose to 6.32 at AAA. He was allowed to become a free agent after the season. After being signed by the Baltimore Orioles to start the 1992 season, Akerfelds spent another few seasons in the minors, finishing his career in the California Angels' farm system in 1995 without returning to the majors.

After his retirement as a player, Akerfelds spent eleven years as bullpen coach for the San Diego Padres.

Illness and death

In 2011, Akerfelds was revealed to be suffering from pancreatic cancer. Akerfelds died in Phoenix, Arizona on June 24, 2012 from complications of the disease.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]