Even as a youth, Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart stood out among his peers.
David Warrenfeltz, who grew up with Adenhart outside Hagerstown and was his catcher at Williamsport High, knew him from the time they were 6 or 7 years old.
"From a very young age, he was the best," said Warrenfeltz, who is a senior catcher at UMBC. "In Washington County, from the time he was 9 or 10, everybody knew who he was.
"The hardest part about this is that he was the kind of guy you always wanted around. He always had your back. As talented as he was, he was just one of the guys, real down-to-earth."
Adenhart was among three people killed Thursday in a crash in Fullerton, Calif., when a minivan driven by an alleged drunken driver broadsided their car after running a red light, authorities said.
The crash occurred hours after Adenhart, 22, pitched six scoreless innings Wednesday night against the Oakland Athletics. Police arrested Andrew Thomas Gallo, 22, of San Bernardino, Calif., on suspicion of felony driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter, said Lt. Kevin Hamilton of the Fullerton Police Department.
The Angels postponed Thursday night's game with Oakland.
The Angels organization and those who knew him from Maryland were shaken by the rookie's death. "We're all in shock," Angels general manager Tony Reagins said. "Nick had such a bright future. He was such a bright kid. We're going to deeply miss him. It's just so difficult to put into words how much he will be missed. He was a great person."
Dean Albany, a long-time scout and cross-checker for the Orioles, coached Adenhart for four years on the Oriolelanders. Adenhart joined the team at 14, though it was made up largely of older high school players.
"What a tragedy. He was just an incredible, incredible kid. Forget about baseball, just a fun-loving kid. He had a lot of talent, and he knew he had a lot of God-given talent, but he never was bigger or better than the team," Albany said. "I watched him pitch on TV last night. He pitched six shutout innings and I was talking to some scouts on the phone about how good he looked. ... Then you get up and you're brushing your teeth and you get a call that he's been killed in a car accident."
Orioles relief pitcher Dennis Sarfate worked out this summer with Adenhart.
