Aaron Judge and Jeff McNeil React to Death of Former Coach John Altobelli in California Helicopter Crash

Basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his teenage daughter Gianna were two of nine individuals killed in the devastating helicopter accident in Calabasas on Sunday afternoon.

As the day continued, the identity of some of the other victims were revealed: Orange County Coast baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri, and daughter Alyssa have all been confirmed to have perished as well.

He wasn't just any baseball coach; as part of his long career, he was a mentor to New York's brightest baseball stars: Aaron Judge of the Yankees and Jeff McNeil of the Mets.

And both were heartbroken to find out the news of Altobelli's passing. Judge had jus three words to describe his feelings in his tweet on Sunday evening, paying tribute to the man who managed him with the Cape Cod League's Brewster Whitecaps, changing the trajectory of his career (that summer established Judge as a first-round pick).

Judge credited Altobelli for his development into a superstar. Back in 2012, the larger-than-life Yankee was just a raw prospect. He joined the White Caps in the Cape Cod League that summer, and became the 32nd overall pick the following year.

As for McNeil, he had more words to share in his tweet, calling Altobelli one of his favorite coaches. In fact, McNeil said the baseball coach was the one who helped him get drafted by the Mets.

Sunday was just a terrible day for everyone in the sports world, especially for Judge and McNeil across MLB. The man they attribute their successful baseball careers to was taken away from them.