Minnesota Twins Prospect Ryan Costello Found Dead After Joining New Zealand Team

Ryan Costello, a Minnesota Twins prospect, was found dead in his hotel room in Auckland, New Zealand, on Monday. He was 23 years old.

His death comes less than a week after he joined the Auckland Tuatara and was gearing up to play his first season in the Australian Baseball League, which begins on Wednesday. The team has since released a statement confirming the athlete’s death, and said that “preliminary indications suggest he died of natural causes.”

“The Tuatara would like to express their deepest condolences to Ryan’s family back home in the United States and to the whole Minnesota Twins organisation,” the team added.

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According to the release, the third baseman was expected to have a “major role” in the Australian league, and that his new Tuatara teammates are “naturally devastated” by the news and will be offered support as needed.

The Minnesota Twins also released a statement on Twitter, writing, “We are saddened to learn of the untimely passing of Ryan Costello. The entire Twins organization sends our most sincere condolences to Ryan’s family, friends, coaches, and teammates.”

A relative of Costello shared a statement on behalf of the family on the Tuatara’s Facebook page.

“On behalf of his family here at home thank you for everyone who got to meet him there he said it was beautiful and the people were so nice!” he wrote in the comments section of the team’s announcement. “We are deeply saddened and are in disbelief we loved him so much! He will be missed forever.”

Costello, originally from Connecticut, was a 31st round pick in 2017 MBL draft by the Seattle Mariners, reported The Washington Post. He was later traded to the Twins in July 2018.

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Throughout 2019, he split his time between the class A Fort Myers Miracle and the class AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos, playing first, third and outfield. Costello was signed by Tuatara in September.

Both the Fort Myers team and Pensacola team also shared their grief over his death on Twitter.

“We were very sad to learn the news about the passing of former Miracle infielder Ryan Costello this morning,” the Miracle wrote. “His home run helped lift the Miracle to the FSL Championship in 2018. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and the entire Twins organization.”

The Blue Wahoos said in their own tweet, “With great sadness, we remember a ballplayer whose talent on the field was only exceeded by his kindness off of it.”