SEATTLE -- Ryan Costello, a first baseman drafted by the Mariners in 2017 before he was traded to the Twins the following season, died in his hotel room in Auckland, New Zealand, on Monday, according to his Australian Baseball League club.

The 23-year-old had been in New Zealand for several days in preparation for his first offseason stint with the Auckland Tuatara. According to a statement from the club, preliminary indications suggest Costello died of natural causes.

Costello was selected by the Mariners in the 31st round out of Central Connecticut State University. He posted a .331/.430/.634 line with eight homers and 38 RBIs in 44 games that year for the Mariners’ Arizona Rookie League team.

Costello was a midseason selection to the Midwest League All-Star team for Class A Clinton in ’18, batting .266/.360/.486 with 16 homers and 70 RBIs in 101 games before being traded to Minnesota, along with right-hander Chase De Jong, in a July 30 deal for veteran left-handed reliever Zach Duke.

Costello appeared in 108 games between Class A Advanced Fort Myers and Double-A Pensacola in 2019, hitting .223/.343/.412 with 15 homers and 16 doubles.

Nick English, owner of the Munger English Sports Management agency, which represented Costello, issued the following statement:

"On behalf of our staff and families, and others who have supported Ryan throughout his career in professional baseball, I want to express our deepest condolences to the Costello family. Ryan was an absolute pleasure to work with.

"We join the players, coaches, and staff members of the Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Fort Myers Miracle, Clinton LumberKings, Arizona League Mariners, Auckland Tuatara, Central Connecticut State University, and Wethersfield High School in offering our unwavering support to Ryan’s family during this difficult time.

"We wish the days of sorrow one day soon can turn to days of joy in celebrating all that was -- and is -- good about Ryan’s life and spirit. He was an inspiration to many on the field, advancing to Double-A ball after being selected as a 31st-round pick by the Mariners in 2017. He was a champion.

"He won the Florida State League title in 2018 with his Miracle teammates, hitting a go-ahead home run in the series-clinching Game 4. Ryan’s hard work and dedication to his craft were admirable, and we were blessed to be alongside him as he lived out his dream of playing professional baseball."