5 Mar 1998: Manager Don Baylor of the Colorado Rockies stands on the field during a spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at the Maryvale Baseball Park in Maryvale, Arizona. The Rockies defeated the Brewers 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr

Former Major League Baseball MVP and longtime manager Don Baylor died Monday at the age of 68, his family has announced.

“Don passed from this earth with the same fierce dignity with which he played the game and lived his life,” his wife, Rebecca, said in a statement, according to MLB.com.

Baylor was diagnosed with the cancerous disease multiple myeloma in 2003, and he discussed it with MLB.com in 2013:

“The regular cancers have had so much money thrown into the pot, and like Multiple Myeloma, we still can’t find a cure,” Baylor said this week before a game at Chase Field. “This is a specialized cancer. Maybe we can bring up awareness for Multiple Myeloma. Prostate cancer is men. Breast cancer is women. This can strike anybody. It skips one person and gets another. You don’t even have to be a certain age to get this.”

Baylor played for seven different teams in his MLB career, winning the AL MVP award with the California Angels in 1979 and the World Series with the Minnesota Twins in 1987. A prolific power hitter, he was a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner.

In 1993, Baylor was named the first manager of the Colorado Rockies, and he won the NL Manager of the Year Award in 1995. He managed the Rockies until 1998, then managed the Cubs from 2000 to 2002. He served as a coach for various teams until 2015, ending with the Angels.

Even before his baseball career, Baylor had an interesting story. A native of Austin, Texas, he had a scholarship offer to become the first black football player at the University of Texas, but he turned it down to play baseball.

This comes a day after former Philadelphia Phillies star Darren Daulton died of cancer.

About Kevin Trahan

Kevin mostly covers college football and college basketball, with an emphasis on NCAA issues and other legal issues in sports. He is also an incoming law student. He's written for SB Nation, USA Today, VICE Sports, The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal, among others. He is a graduate of Northwestern University.