Ryan Rowland-Smith, born and raised in Newcastle, Australia, has carved out 17 years of professional baseball spread all over the globe. The Aussie burst into the Major Leagues in 2007 striking out Ken Griffey Jr. Ryan pitched in various roles for the Seattle Mariners. In addition to his four seasons in Seattle, Ryan had stops with the Astros (2011), Cubs (2012) Red Sox (2013) & the Diamondbacks (2014). He represented his native Australia in the 2004 Athens Olympic games where he won a silver medal. Ryan was also a part of the team in two World Baseball Classics including the most recent 2017 WBC in Tokyo, Japan.
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As well as heading up NxtGen Baseball, The 'Hyphen' Ryan Rowland-Smith is a former Major League pitcher and currently a baseball analyst for the Seattle Mariners TV and radio. He is the host of 'The Top Step' Podcast.
Ryan was also the first Major League Pitcher to compete in American Ninja Warrior in Seattle, 2019
"One of the most intimidating and nerve-racking experiences I've ever had. These challenges are ones I never want to shy away from."
Ryan is the sole owner of NxtGen Baseball. Ryan had a vision of guiding and mentoring the Next Generation of Baseball players and creating platforms well beyond those he had.
NxtGen Baseball is a performance company for the Next Generation of Major Leaguers providing opportunities to play college baseball as well as representing them to play professionally.
Some of the proudest and most fulfilling moments Ryan had experienced is representing his players and providing opportunities to commit to powerhouse college programs such as Stanford University, Oregon State University, and many others. Ryan is also excited to launch these same avenues for kids in the USA.
"Our mission is to change the identity of baseball in Australia and here in the USA and the way young athletes prepare and develop to not only reach their capacity but have opportunities we never had"
From signing as a long shot out of Australia and working his way to the Major Leagues, Ryan brings a unique perspective to the game and journey like no other. As a player and analyst, he has always been involved in the community, hosting the Mariners Care Cystic Fibrosis Foundation golf tournament and was nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award in 2010. Besides his work on the ROOT SPORTS pre-and post-game shows, Ryan also appears on the Mariners post-game show on 710ESPN and frequently appears on MLB Network.
