Cardinals Scout Charles Peterson Dies at 46 After Being Hospitalized with COVID

Charles Peterson, a St. Louis Cardinals amateur scout, died Sunday after being hospitalized with COVID-19.

He was 46.

"Charles had an incredible impact on our scouting department," Cardinals assistant general manager and scouting director Randy Flores said in a statement. "He brought a tremendous work ethic, keen eye, and booming laugh with him every day. My prayers are with his wife Karen and family as anyone who ever talked to CP knew how proud he was of them."

Peterson had been hospitalized since Aug. 17. He was placed on a ventilator shortly after arriving at the hospital and his condition showed "no real improvement," according to a post on the GoFundMe page set up for Peterson's family.

"Charles always would light up the Draft room," Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. "His smile, his voice, his energy—you knew it was Charles. He was a special man that made others better. He will be missed."

A 1993 first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Peterson played five years in the minor leagues and eight more seasons of independent baseball before transitioning to a career as a scout. The South Carolina native had been with the Cardinals organization since 2012 and served as an area scout and special assistant to Flores.