Royals sign former Blue Jays farmhand Andrew Case

The Guelph Royals have signed former Blue Jays farmhand Andrew Case for the remainder of their 2022 season. The 6'4" right-handed pitcher from Saint John, New Brunswick is expected to be in the Royal City later today.

Case split time in both the Mexican League and in the Frontier League with the Quebec Capitales this season with 6.1 IP a 2-0 record and an ERA of 1.42.

Royals manager Dino Roumel said “We are so excited to have Andrew here. He’s traveled here with his family and I’m certain they will love our city and they will be embraced by our fans. He is a veteran Canadian pitcher who has pitched at a high level. He will make a huge impact at the backend of the bullpen but also will be a great guy in the clubhouse."

The Royals passed the halfway mark of their season in Sunday's loss 4-3 in Toronto to the Maple Leafs and hope the addition of Case helps shore up the Royals pitching staff which currently has a team ERA of  5.13 which ranks 5th in the league.

Opponents are only batting .244 against the Royals which is the league's lowest and the staff leads the IBL with 209 strikeouts recorded.  111 of those belonging to ace Claudio Custodio who' has turned in dominant performances in the majority of his starts on the hill for the Royals.

Roumel added "We are continuing to build with great talent and great people. We get better with each game. We're working hard to give our city a chance at another championship.”

The Royals (12-8) sit currently alone in third place in the eight-team loop two and a half games behind the Welland Jackfish (16-6 ) and London Majors (15-5) who are currently tied for first place.

The Royals play on the road Thursday Night in Kitchener against the Panthers before returning home Saturday night to face the Majors at 7:30 pm.