NYBA Announces North York Mets 15U

THE NORTH YORK BASEBALL ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP
WITH TORONTO METS AND NORTH YORK'S BANTAM ELITE (15U) PROGRAM FOR 2019/2020 SEASON

North York Baseball Association (NYBA) also announces the introduction of the North York Mets for our 15U Elite Program next season.  The new team will tryout in early-August 2019 and will play a fall schedule, as well as playing in the Bantam Elite Division of the  Elite Baseball League of Ontario (ELBO). 

The North York Mets Elite program will extend from Bantam (15u) through Minor Midget (16u) in 2021 and will have an Elite team at each age group by 2023. 

The focus of this partnership is to work together with one of the premier CPBL organizations in order to provide North York's Elite Program with the tools they need to be one of the top Elite programs in the Elite Baseball League of Ontario. The players will be using the same indoor facility, as well as utilizing the same instructors and resources that the Toronto Mets currently provide. This is a great opportunity for prospective Toronto Mets players to be in constant contact with the Toronto Mets should they desire to play for the program in future years, as well as playing for one of the most competitive Elite teams in the GTA. 

With this partnership between the Toronto Mets and NYBA, the North York Mets will be sharing the extensive pool of resources that the Toronto Mets currently have. These resources will include professional instructors, trainers and other specialist and /or professional organizations and facilities. Most of these instructors will be the same that the Toronto Mets use throughout their program including pitching, hitting, and various fielding coaches.  These resources will encompass:

• Physical development
• Baseball skill development
• Team skill development
• Positional skill development
• Career guidance
• Nutrition and health maintenance
• Skill evaluation

To date graduating NYBA AAA Minor Bantam players have gone to private teams or other ELBO teams.  NYBA's new partnership with the Toronto Mets will help with this retention issue as the team will feature a program that operates as anOBA version of the Toronto Mets. We are hoping that with this partnership with the Toronto Mets, it will be an attractive option for prospective Toronto Mets players, as well as being a great program for players that wish to continue to play in the Elite Baseball League of Ontario. 

In addition to coaches and instructors, last year NYBA hired an Elite Program Coordinator who is responsible for the execution of the program.  Jason Rhynold completed his undergrad with a BBA, majoring in Sports Management at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and will be returning in the fall to complete his Masters in Business Administration. Jason played baseball at NYBA from the age of 7 at the AAA level until he joined the Toronto Mets in 2012 at 16 years old.  He was eventually recruited to Davenport University as a hockey goaltender. NYBA selected Jason based on his extensive baseball knowledge, his experience in navigating the US scholarship process and his sports management skills.

The North York Mets will be naming the coaching staff very shortly as well as posting tryout dates for early August.

Contacts:  

Stephen Davis:  President North York Baseball Association
sdavis@nyba.ca | 416-616-5999

Jason Rhynold:  Elite Program Coordinator
jrhynold35@gmail.com | Telephone: 416-720-3276