Ken Caminiti, 41; Named MVP for 1996 Season With Padres

This obituary appeared in some editions of Monday’s Times.

NEW YORK -- Ken Caminiti, the National League’s 1996 most valuable player who admitted using steroids during his major league baseball career, has died. He was 41.

Caminiti died Sunday of a heart attack while visiting friends in New York City, according to Rick Licht, his agent and lawyer. The city medical examiner’s office performed an autopsy Monday but could not rule on a cause of death until toxicology tests were complete, which could take up to 10 days, spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

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 most valuable player. Caminiti played for Houston, San Diego, Texas and Atlanta. He batted .272, with 239 home runs and 983 RBIs.

The three-time All-Star third baseman was often in trouble the last few years. On Oct. 5, he admitted in a Houston court that he violated the conditions of his probation by testing positive for cocaine last month and was sentenced to 180 days in jail.

But Judge William Harmon gave Caminiti credit for the 189 days he had already served in jail and a treatment facility since he was sentenced to three years’ probation for a cocaine arrest in March 2001. He had pleaded guilty in March 2002.

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

“He was a great player, but he got mixed up in the wrong things -- taking drugs,” said Dodger Steve Finley, who played with Caminiti at Houston and San Diego for eight years. “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 was born April 21, 1963, in Hanford, Calif. He played college baseball at San Jose State and was drafted by the Astros in the 3rd round of the 1984 amateur draft.

A resident of the Houston area, Caminiti was divorced. The San Jose Mercury News reported that he is survived by his three children, his parents, a brother and a sister.