The baseball world has endured a lot of heartbreak lately. The community was yet to recover from the loss of Phil Garner, followed just one day later by the demise of former Astros prospect Jon Kemmer. Now, the sport has been hit with another tragic update. A former Reds prospect has passed away while working as an HVAC technician.

Brian Kirby was a former Reds prospect who never played in the majors. His .231 average in the minors and independent leagues speaks to his baseball skills. But his life was cut short by the tragic accident that took his life at 46.

“This morning [on April 15], a tragic accident occurred at our church building involving an employee of Kirby Heating and Air,” Graves Memorial Baptist Church in North Little Rock, Ark. shared. “He was more than an employee — he was part of our family and our community. Tragically, he lost his life. He was a highly skilled and experienced HVAC technician, and his loss is deeply felt.”

Reportedly, after moving away from baseball in 2005, Kirby ventured into HVAC and roofing work. On April 15, he was working in the Graves Memorial Baptist Church for “Kirby Heating and Air.”

When he was working on the roof, the church authorities sensed something wrong and contacted the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office.

The help came, and they used a drone to locate Kirby, unresponsive, on the roof.

According to the Sheriff’s office, Kirby’s body was found “near two air conditioning units on the roof.”

Per the case summary of the report from the sheriff’s office, he was possibly electrocuted. He is survived by his parents, Curtis and Cindy, his wife, Jennifer, and the couple’s two daughters, Jordan and Brantley.

Former Arkansas baseball coach Norm DeBriyn recruited Kirby for the Razorbacks out of North Little Rock High School. He was named team MVP twice at his high school, helping the Charging Wildcats to a 43-10 record as a junior and senior. He even helped the Razorbacks win their first SEC title in his sophomore season.

As a freshman, Kirby batted .307 with 12 home runs, 12 doubles, and 46 RBI. He broke the Arkansas freshman record for home runs, previously set by Jeff King with 11 in 1984.

The Reds originally drafted Kirby back in 1997, and Cleveland picked him up again in the 2001 draft. Even though his pro baseball career was brief, Brian Kirby was a multi-way player. First base, left field, and catcher. The Cleveland Indians drafted Kirby in the 31st round of the 2001 MLB Draft. He even reached the Colorado Rockies’ Triple-A club for a brief time in 2005. He played in the minor leagues and Independent Frontier League, reaching Triple-A in 2005. But then, he officially walked away from the game in 2005.

Kirby’s best year in baseball was in 2004, when he batted .256 and scored 16 homers with Springfield in the Frontier League.

“There are things of this world that I will just never understand,” Kirby’s cousin, Allison Avra Guerin, said.

“It truly breaks my heart to its core. But I do know the promise of eternity on the other side. And for that, I can only rejoice through the sadness, knowing Brian is there celebrating until we meet again soon.”

Kirby’s family is holding his celebration of life today, Wednesday, April 22.

Brian Kirby just added to the Reds’ long list of tragic losses

The franchise has endured several shocking losses over the years.

Most recently, in 2018, their minor leaguer Jairo Capellan was killed in a tragic car accident that also injured two other prospects. He was a 19-year-old pitcher who had a 6.25 ERA and 39 strikeouts in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League.

Then, the Reds’ other minor leaguer, Dernell Stenson, was tragically murdered in Arizona during a carjacking and robbery while playing in the Arizona Fall League in 2003. He was only 25 then. The Reds also lost two players to suicide.

Ryan Freel, the Reds outfielder, took his own life at the age of 36 in 2012. The same was true for Willard Hershberger, and the incident happened in his Boston hotel room back in 1940. Reportedly, he blamed himself for a team slump and a couple of recent losses.

While Kirby was far away from baseball since 2005, losing a talent at 46 is a great loss. In this difficult time, our thoughts are with the bereaved family.