Pro Baseball Player From Wethersfield Found Dead In New Zealand

WETHERSFIELD, CT — Ryan Costello, a former All-State baseball player at Wethersfield High School and current minor league prospect in the Minnesota Twins organization, was found dead Monday morning in a hotel room in Auckland, New Zealand, where he was about to begin playing for the Auckland Tuatara in the Australian Baseball League. He was 23.

According to a statement from the team, Costello died in his sleep of natural causes. The team had scrimmaged Sunday, but concerns arose when Costello did not report to practice Monday morning. New Zealand Standard Time is 18 hours ahead of Connecticut.

The league posted news of Costello's death on its Facebook and Twitter pages.

A 2014 graduate of Wethersfield High School, the 6-foot-2, 200 lb. Costello was named to the Class L All-State team by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association following his senior season. He then played three seasons at Central Connecticut State University, leading the Blue Devils with nine home runs in his junior year and tying a school record with 22 doubles that season. He was selected to the All-Northeast Conference first team, and finished his college career with a .290 batting average, 14 home runs, 86 runs batted in and a .465 slugging percentage in 125 games.

In June 2017, he was selected in the 31st round of the annual Major League Baseball draft by the Seattle Mariners. He was assigned to the organization's rookie league team in Arizona, where he belted eight home runs and knocked in 38 runs in 44 games. He posted a lofty .331 batting average and slugged at a .634 clip.

He began the 2018 season with the Clinton LumberKings of the Class A Midwest League, and made the All-Star team on the basis of his 42 extra base hits, 16 home runs and 70 RBI in 101 games. On July 30 that year, he was traded with another player to the Twins in exchange for former MLB All-Star pitcher Zach Duke.

Costello split the 2019 campaign between the Class A Fort Myers Miracle and the Pensacola Blue Wahoos of the Class AA Southern League. He struggled a bit at the plate, batting just .223 with 15 homers and 46 RBI in 108 games. He recently signed with Auckland to sharpen his skills over the winter, and was scheduled to open the Australian season Thursday.

A GoFundMe campaign was established late Monday morning to assist Costello's family.

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