AKRON, Ohio – Chace Numata, a catcher for the Detroit Tigers' Double-A affiliate, the Erie SeaWolves, died in an Erie hospital on Monday from injuries he sustained in a skateboarding accident. He was 27.

The Pearl City, Hawaii, native was selected in the 14th round of the 2010 MLB draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. He signed a minor league deal with the Tigers in November and spent time between Double-A and Triple-A this season.

[ Opinion: Chace Numata's death reminds us to 'Live like Numi' ]

Called by teammates as "the heart and soul" of the SeaWolves, Numata was known to keep the clubhouse vibrant and teammates laughing during the season.

“He’s a giver,” SeaWolves outfielder Cam Gibson, who shared an apartment with Numata, said Sunday. “He’ll never ask for anything, but he’ll give. Even the small stuff. Me and him will go to Taco Bell at midnight and he forces himself in to pay for it. It’s little stuff like that. He refuses to take from people.

"He’s always dancing, always joking and making light of everything. He’s a bright light in everybody’s life. I can’t tell you the times he’s had heart-to-heart talks with me this year talking to me about what my future holds. Regardless if I’m doing well or doing bad, he’s always there. Numi is the heart and soul of this team. He has more heart and more soul than anybody in this entire organization.”

The circumstances of Numata’s accident suggest he was riding his skateboard home in the downtown Erie area shortly after 2 a.m. the morning of Aug. 30, police said.

Surveillance video from an insurance business nearby showed Numata riding alone down East 4th Street when his skateboard suddenly stopped, as if it hit a rock, and he fell forward, Erie police Sgt. David Stucke said on Monday.

“It appears he just fell on the skateboard and landed headfirst on the ground,” Stucke said. “It appears he was unconscious as soon as he fell. He was knocked out.”

A motorist saw Numata in the middle of the road, pulled over and called 911 about 2:15 a.m. Police found him on the ground, bleeding from the head, Stucke said.

“Chace was beloved by many from our Major League club through all levels of our player development system," the Tigers said in a statement Monday. "He had an engaging personality that quickly established him as a leader on and off the field, and his presence will be forever remembered in our organization and beyond. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, teammates and coaches.”

[ Erie SeaWolves pray for catcher: God, bring him back to us ]

After the Tigers' 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Monday, manager Ron Gardenhire called Numata a "gamer" who "loved to play."

"We saw him in spring training with my staff," Gardenhire said. "It’s really tough out there in the clubhouse right now. ... This is a tough one for the organization. Really tough.”

The SeaWolves' season ended on Monday in Akron, Ohio.

During the road trip, the club honored Numata by writing his nickname, "Numi," on their hats, his favorite sayings on a pair of cleats and they played some of Numata’s favorite songs in the clubhouse.

Numata’s favorite song was K.C. & the Sunshine Band’s “Give It Up.”

“It’s surreal,” Erie second baseman Kody Clemens said Monday. “It’s so tragic.”

SeaWolves hitting coach Brian Harper said the club's typically rowdy dugout was "real somber and kind of quiet" over the weekend.

"If you took a poll of the guys, who is your favorite teammate, it would be Chase Numata, 25-0," Harper said. "If you took a poll of the staff, it would be 8-0 Chase Numata.”

Numata hit .244 with four home runs and 28 RBIs in 77 games in the minors this season. Before joining the Tigers organization, he spent a season in the Yankees farm system and eight seasons in the Phillies organization.

A GoFundMe account was established to help pay for Numata's medical expenses. More than 240 people had donated more than $20,000 as of Monday afternoon, including several players from the Tigers organization.

"Everyone who was around Chace knew there was never a stranger in the room when he was there," Numata's family said in a statement Monday. "It didn’t matter if you were a professional athlete or young child, he made sure to make everyone feel comfortable and welcomed. His smile was contagious, unrelenting, and never ending, while his personality could light up any environment he would be in. Our family would like to say Mahalo nui loa (thank you very much) to everyone who prayed for, thought of, and acknowledged Chace during this difficult time. We heard you and we appreciate you all from the bottom of our hearts!"

Contact Kirkland Crawford: kcrawford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @HiKirkHere.