Kyle Glogoski has been playing minor league baseball with affiliates of the Philadelpia Phillies since 2018. Photo / Getty Images
Kyle Glogoski has been playing minor league baseball with affiliates of the Philadelpia Phillies since 2018. Photo / Getty Images
Last Thursday, Kiwi baseball pitcher Kyle Glogoski woke up as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies organisation.
He went to bed as a member of the Cincinnati Reds.
The 23-year-old was picked up by the Reds with the third pick in the minor league portion of Major League Baseball’s Rule5 draft, in which teams can draft prospects from other franchises if they believe they would better utilise the talent available. Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club’s 40-man Major League roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 draft, while players who signed at 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons.
It’s a situation you don’t see in New Zealand sport, with the young Kiwi talent being told he now lived in a new city.
“It’s just crazy how quickly everything can change,” Glogoski told the Herald. “No longer a Philly anymore, it’s honestly unreal.”
To see Glogoski drafted was a strong indication of how highly the Reds franchise think of him, as he was a regular in Double A for the Phillies and had also played in Triple A – one step down from Major League Baseball.
Glogoski said his agent had told him there was a good chance he would be selected in the draft, with the Colorado Rockies apparently interested in him as well. Glogoski was preparing for his start for the Auckland Tuatara the next day – playing in the Australian Baseball League during the American off-season. When he left the field, he was part of a new franchise.
A few phone calls followed; catching up with his agent to get the details, talking to a representative of the Phillies who thanked him for his work and wished him well, and an introduction to the Reds prospect director who welcomed him to the organisation and outlined their plans for him.
“Just like that, after about three phone calls I’m a Cincinnati Red.”
Glogoski said the Reds have a clear plan for him which will likely see him start the year in Double A, but quickly progress to Triple A, all going well. The Reds major league rotation leaves a lot to be desired, and while that could change during free agency before spring training, the opportunity to crack the highest level might not be too far out of reach for the Kiwi slinger should he meet expectations at the lower levels.
Kyle Glogoski has been pitching well for the Auckland Tuatara in their return to the Australian Baseball League this season. Photo / Photosport
While that is the ultimate goal, he will start the 2023 season on the familiar grind of the minor leagues.
“I’m not sure how honest I want to be because I don’t want to put anyone off, but it’s hard,” Glogoski said when asked about life as a minor league baseballer.
“But the thing that keeps guys going is the opportunity to potentially play in the big leagues. That’s what kids dream of as soon as they start playing baseball and it’s what keeps them going. Everyone knows these definitely aren’t the glory days, but you work hard, train hard, and good things will happen.
“The coolest part is when some of the guys you start coming up with and your friends, they start cracking the big leagues. It makes it all seem a whole lot more realistic. It’s hard, but you’ve got to do it; you’ve just got to keep going.”
He will now turn his attention to making improvements over the summer in preparation for his arrival at the Reds. Because of that, Glogoski, his agent and the Reds came to the collective decision to shut him down for the rest of the Auckland Tuatara’s ABL season. He ends his campaign after making a strong start, not allowing a run while striking out seven hitters in 7.2 innings across three appearances – although the last of those was ultimately rained out.
Glogoski will spend the rest of the summer looking to add a bit more heat to his fastball – which goes through around 90mph - and improving his slider (a deceptive off-speed pitch that tails away from the strike-zone late).
“If I can do that, really just go hard on those couple of things, I think good things will happen this coming season,” Glogoski said.
“For me wanting to make these velocity gains and work on all these things, playing actually delays that. It’s very hard to let your body recover and develop while you’re playing.
“I would’ve loved to keep playing for the Tuatara. The boys are doing great this year. It’s such a good team and they’re in a really good position to make the playoffs, so it’s kind of gutting that I can’t keep playing, but they understand. They were very respectful of my situation and what I had to say, and wished me all the best.”
