NZ Diamondblacks pitcher and Philadelphia Phillies signee Kyle Glogoski will play for the Auckland Tuatara this summer in a coup for the new franchise.
The talented Glogoski signed a deal with the Phillies at the beginning of the year and has enjoyed a stellar season pitching in the United States.
He threw 39 innings of rookie ball in 2018, striking out 47 batters and recording an Earned Run Average (ERA) of 2.31, and projects to be a valuable contributor to the organisation.
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So the Tuatara were delighted that the Phillies agreed to allow the 19-year-old to play for the franchise in their inaugural season in the Australian Baseball League season.
"Kyle is coming off an amazing first year playing in the United States and we are thrilled the Phillies have given us the green light to sign him for the upcoming season," said Tuatara boss Ryan Flynn.
"To have Kyle come back and play for his home town club is huge for our organisation.
"The Tuatara franchise has been created to give Kiwi baseball players a chance to play professional baseball and Kyle will be a role model in that regard," added Flynn.
"He’s clearly a poster boy for the sport, with the goal to highlight how his determination and hard work have led to some early successes in the professional game, and to show young people in our country that anything is possible in baseball, if hard work is at the forefront."
Glogoski will be available for the first few weeks of the season and is allowed to throw up to 25 innings during his time with the Tuatara.
The 1.88m (6ft 2in) right-hander grew up in Auckland and learned baseball in the city, before embarking on his professional journey earlier this year.
But Glogoski has showed early signs of his talent since 2014, when he led New Zealand’s U15 national team and the team’s pitching staff in Mexico at the WBSC U15 world championship. Since then, he’s been one of New Zealand’s few representatives on various MLB world teams and academies.
The Auckland Tuatara begin their maiden ABL campaign mid-November against the Perth Heat, before a three-week home stand that features series against the Brisbane Bandits, Canberra Cavalry and Sydney Blue Sox.
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