MLB prospect Ryan Costello found dead in New Zealand hotel room

A 23-year-old baseballer who arrived to play in the Australian Baseball League just last week was found dead in a New Zealand hotel room.

Ryan Costello was a star baseball prospect.

Just days after joining the Auckland Tuatara — a team in the Australian Baseball League — Major League Baseball prospect Ryan Costello was found dead in his New Zealand hotel room.

Costello, a prospect within the Minnesota Twins organisation, arrived in Auckland last week to play his first season with Auckland’s baseball team, and was expected to have a major role with the side.

Concerns were raised when Costello failed to report for practice yesterday, days ahead of Tuatara’s opener of the 2019-20 season.

According to the Twins’ team website, the initial indications are the 23-year-old died of natural causes.

“The Minnesota Twins are deeply saddened to learn of the untimely passing of Ryan Costello yesterday in New Zealand,” the team said in a statement. “On behalf of the entire organisation, the Twins send their most sincere condolences to Ryan’s family, friends, coaches and teammates. Ryan split the 2019 season between Single-A Ft. Myers and Double-A Pensacola, playing in 108 games.”

The Mariners drafted Costello in the 31st round in 2017 out of Central Connecticut State. A corner infielder and outfielder, he was dealt to the Twins in 2018 as part of a deal that sent left-hander Zack Duke to the Mariners.

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, he played in the minor leagues for the Clinton Lumberjacks and later for the Fort Myers Miracle during their 2018 championship run.

In September, he helped Single-A Fort Myers win the 2018 Florida State League title, hitting a three-run homer. He batted .223 with 15 home runs and 46 RBIs this past season between Fort Myers and Double-A Pensacola.

In an interview with Twins Daily in October 2018, Costello said his greatest strength is “my ability to stay positive through tough times and understand that it’s part of the game and ups and downs are going to come.”

He spoke of his desire to spend time with family after his first professional season in 2019.

“My dad has a bass boat and has had it since I was a kid,” he told Twins Daily. “The first thing we do when I go home is go fishing.

“I’ve been home for seven days, I’ve been out fishing about four of those days. I live about five minutes from a river, the Connecticut River, so we go fishing on the river a lot.”

— with New Zealand Herald