Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ? Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Steve Bechler died of heatstroke Monday, unable to recover from a spring training workout that sent his temperature to 108 degrees.

Orioles spokesman Bill Stetka neither could confirm nor deny a Washington Times report a dietary supplement containing ephedrine was found in Bechler’s locker.

An autopsy will help determine whether Bechler had been taking the supplement, which has been linked to heatstroke and heart attacks.

A workout Sunday left Bechler pale and dizzy, and when his condition worsened, he was carried from the clubhouse to an ambulance on a stretcher. He spent the night in intensive care and died at 10:10 a.m. Monday at Northridge Medical Center.

His wife, Kiley, due to deliver the couple’s first child in April, was at his bedside. She and Bechler, 23, married last year.

William Goldiner, the Orioles’ team physician, said Bechler died of “multi-organ failure due to heatstroke.”

“He would rebound at times. They thought they were getting ahead of it, and then another organ system would fail,” Goldiner said.

Bechler, 6-foot-2 and 239 pounds, had battled weight trouble in the past. Asked about the pitcher’s conditioning, manager Mike Hargrove was quoted as saying it was “not good.”

The temperature at noon Sunday was 81 degrees, and the humidity was 74 percent, the National Weather Service said.

Baltimore Orioles minor-league coach Dave Schmidt, right, consoles pitcher Matt Riley following the death of prospect Steve Bechler. The rookie pitcher died of heatstroke Monday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Goldiner said he wasn’t aware of any evidence Bechler had been taking a dietary supplement such as ephedrine, which has been banned by the NCAA and NFL, but not by Major League Baseball.

Broward County medical examiner Dr. Joshua Perper said his medical examiner’s office would begin an autopsy today, and that it could be two or three weeks before the final results are known.

A native of Medford, Ore., Bechler was a third-round draft pick by the Orioles in 1998. He made his major league debut last September, going 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA in three relief appearances.

He spent most of last season at Triple-A Rochester, going 6-11 with a 4.09 ERA in 24 starts. He had a 35-48 record in five minor-league seasons.

In 2001, heatstroke was blamed for the death of Vikings lineman Korey Stringer, who collapsed during training camp. Stringer’s widow has filed a $100 million wrongful-death lawsuit against the team and its doctors.

Last season, baseball was stunned by the death of St. Louis pitcher Darryl Kile. He died in June from blocked coronary arteries.