Former outfielder Clyburn killed

Longtime Minor League outfielder Danny Clyburn Jr., the Pirates' second-round pick in 1992, was shot to death early Tuesday morning at a home in Lancaster, S.C., police said.

According to a report in The Herald, the 37-year-old Clyburn was shot around 2 a.m. on Tuesday after witnesses said he was arguing with another man. Police arrested Derrick Mcilwain, 36, of Lancaster, and charged him with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, according to the newspaper.

It's unclear what provoked the shooting or how many times Clyburn was shot, although an autopsy was scheduled for late Tuesday. Police said Clyburn was found dead in the front yard of the home on Market Street.

Clyburn, who appeared in 805 Minor League games with the Pirates, Reds, Rays and Orioles from 1992-1999, spent parts of three season in the Majors before retiring in 2004. He was selected by Pittsburgh as an 18-year-old in 1992 and made his debut with the Bucs' Gulf Coast League affiliate that summer.

"He was a good son," Clyburn's father, Danny Clyburn Sr., told the newspaper. "He tried hard to stay on top, always tried. He worked hard in baseball."

His breakout season in the Minors came in 1994, when he hit .273 with 22 homers and 90 RBIs in 118 games for Class A Advanced Salem. He followed that with another big year in '95, finishing with a career-high 23 homers and 82 RBIs among three clubs after joining the Reds midseason.

Clyburn was ranked as the No. 4 Pirates prospect after the 1993 season and the No. 8 Bucs prospect after the '94 season, both rankings by Baseball America.

In the Minors, Clyburn made stops at Augusta, Salem, Frederick, High Desert, Bowie, Rochester and Durham.

The Lancaster native appeared in 41 Major League games over parts of three seasons, spending time with Baltimore from 1997-98 and 28 more games with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999.

His career ended in 2004 after playing three seasons with the independent Newark Bears.