Royals Overhaul Roster With Three Significant Signings
GUELPH - The Guelph Royals Baseball Club is ecstatic to announce that we have signed starting pitcher and 2022 IBL MVP Claudio Custodio, former Toronto Blue Jays minor league pitcher Andrew Case, and the IBL's all-time leader in home runs Sean Reilly.
Custodio, 32, re-joins the Royals after a dominant 2022 season with the team. Last season, the former New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves, and Baltimore Orioles farmhand won the league MVP after setting the IBL single-season record for strikeouts with 196 in 120 innings pitched.
The native of San Cristobal went 11-0 in the regular season for his efforts, rocking a 2.17 earned run average in the process.
A two-way player, Custodio also produced with his bat for the Royals, batting .404 in the regular season with three doubles and three stolen bases.
Joining Custodio in the Royals bolstered pitching staff is Case, who recorded an earned run average of 2.07 in 15 regular season games with the Royals in 2022.
The Saint John native, who reached as high as Triple-A in the Blue Jays system, picked up five saves for the blue and white last season.
Capping off a trio of deadline day signings, the Royals brought back Sean Reilly, the IBL's all-time leader in home runs.
Now 46, Reilly still produced in a big way for the Royals in 2022, batting .298 with three home runs in the regular season before exploding in the playoffs.
Against the Hamilton Cardinals in round one, the Royals designated hitter matched his regular season home run total while batting .500.
Reilly said he came back for one reason: winning a championship.
"I really don't know what to expect this summer as my focus has been on my son Aiden's baseball team, but like Toby Keith said "I may not be as good as I once was, but I can be as good once I ever was. I'm just hoping my experience and voice on the bench and in the locker room can help this team push towards a championship."