Hall of Fame baseball player and longtime player of the San Diego Padres, Tony Gwynn has died at the age of 54 ultimately due to his battle with cancer.

The news comes as a shock as one of the greatest hitters of all time just signed a three year contract extension as San Diego State's baseball coach on June 11. ESPN reported he had been on leave since March as he was recovering from cancer treatments. He had been the coach since 2002 after he retired.

Gywnn had a lifetime batting average of .338, and collected 3141 hits in his career. Never a power hitter, he won eight batting titles in the National League and lead his team to two World Series appearances.

In his younger days he was also a threat with the glove and his speed. He stole 319 bases, with his high coming in 1987 when he stole 56. The outfielder won five Gold Gloves as well.

He is 19th all time on the hits list, 28th in doubles, 20th in batting average, and a first ballot Hall of Famer.

His son Tony Gwynn Jr. currently plays in the league for the Philadelphia Phillies.