Ken Caminiti

He met Maria Romero, a mother of three, in 2000 when both were patients at the Smithers Center, a drug rehabilitation facility in Manhattan. According to Romero, she was engaged to marry Kenneth. However, following his death, his friends talked about the violence in their relationship and denied that the couple was engaged.

Kenneth Caminiti was born on April 21, 1963 in Hanford, California, to Yvonne and Lee. He had a brother, Glenn, and a sister, Carrie.

He graduated from Leigh High School in San Jose, California in 1981. He used to play football and baseball. After his successful senior football season, he was invited to play in many All Star Games. He also attended San Jose State University, where he played baseball for the Spartans in 1983 and 1984.

In 1984, the Houston Astros signed Ken Caminiti as a third round pick in the amateur draft. In 1985, he started playing professional baseball beginning with the Osceola Astros of the Single-A Florida State League. Following this, he would play for 15 seasons.

In 1987, he received a call-up to the Double-A Columbus Astros, a minor league baseball team based in Zebulon, North Carolina. He also played third base for the Puerto Rico's Indios de Mayagüez along with Major League baseball player Wally Joyner in the Puerto Rico Winter League.

In July 1987, when he was 24, he made his major league debut with the Houston Astros. In 1988, he returned to the minor leagues, and played with the Triple-A Tucson Toros of the Pacific Coast League. During his tenure with Houston, he was injured several times, yet he hit 18 home runs in 1994, which earned him his first All Star Game selection. He was also selected for All Star Game in 1996 and 1997 as well.

After completing six seasons with Houston, he was traded to the San Diego Padres in 1994 in a 12-player trade along with Steve Finley, Andújar Cedeño, Roberto Petagine, Brian Williams, and another player for Derek Bell, Doug Brocail, Ricky Gutiérrez, Pedro Martínez, Phil Plantier, and Craig Shipley.

With the San Diego team, he achieved several milestones and reached his career highs at that time by hitting .302 with 26 home runs and 94 RBI in 1995, which increased to .326/40/130 in 1996. Despite playing most of the 1996 season with a severe injury, he had given a brilliant performance and earned the National League Most Valuable Player Award.

Ken Caminiti had won three Gold Glove Awards during his stint with the Padres from 1995-98.

He was selected as the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1996.

In 2016, he was posthumously elected into the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame.