Feb 24, 2020 | Matt Mills | 3925 views
Royals Baseball International (RBI) Program sees Flynn join Royals 16U
The Ontario Royals Baseball Club are once again adding an
international player to the program – this time
Zaid Flynn from Palau by way of New Zealand. Zaid will join our 16U Program this summer making him the fourth international player to join the Ontario Royals since 2015 as part of the Royals Baseball International (RBI) Program.
Zaid has played on multiple Baseball New Zealand National Teams, and is the son of former NCAA Division II College of St. Rose player Ryan Flynn, who has worked in baseball throughout his career. This has afforded Zaid some fantastic opportunities, training with coaches like Chris Woodward (Texas Rangers Manager – MLB), Ron Roenicke (Boston Red Sox Manager – MLB), and current MLB players like Didi Gregorious (Philadelphia Phillies – MLB).
The Royals have a track record of success working with international players – Flynn will be the fourth to join the program since 2015 when Quintin Niu and Matt Boyce joined our Royals 18U Program. Boyce went on to play at College of the Canyons (CCCAA — Santa Clarita, CA). After his collegiate career Matt has returned to New Zealand where he has been a part of the Auckland Tuatara (Australian Baseball League) roster the past two seasons. Just this past week, he was also named to the New Zealand Men’s National Team that’s set to take part in the 2020 World Baseball Classic (WBC) Qualifiers.
In 2016, Connor Gleeson joined our program, making him our third international player. Connor had a fantastic summer pitching for our 18U team and winning a PBLO championship. He then moved on to South Florida State College (NJCAA D1 – Avon Park, FL) where he is now a mainstay on their pitching staff.
The Royals Baseball International program grew out of Owner/GM Matt Mills’ relationship with Baseball New Zealand and his desire to continue to grow the game across the globe, as well as help talented players in underdeveloped or underprivileged baseball environments.
For our Canadian Royals, the RBI Program gives our players the opportunity to make friendships and baseball connections that span the globe, and memories that last a lifetime. They also get the opportunity to play alongside talented international players who help raise the overall level of the program.
As we continue to forge relationships with international players, we’re excited about what the future holds for the Ontario Royals and the RBI Program.
* for more information on the RBI Program and how it can work for you, please contact [email protected]