IBL's Guelph Royals re-sign Deans

The Guelph Royals have re-signed reliever Brandon Deans (Mississauga, Ont.). Photo

March 12, 2025

By Ryan Eakin

Guelph Royals

The Guelph Royals have re-signed reliever Brandon Deans.

Deans (Mississauga, Ont.), 23, will enter his fourth season with the Royals in May, making him the longest-serving member of the pitching staff.

The hard-throwing righty set a career high in strikeouts in 2024, fanning 44 batters in just 28 1/3 innings.

The former OCAA star struck out 13.97 batters per nine a season ago, which would have ranked second among all qualified pitchers, behind just Barrie's Cesar Rosado.

Deans said he is looking forward to competing for a championship with the Royals this season.

"I am super excited to be back in the Royal City for another summer,” said Deans. “It's always a very special feeling to play in front of these fans every game. The team and I are fired up about the season as we look to bring a championship back to Guelph."

Royals assistant general manager Ryan Eakin said he expects Deans to take another step in 2025.

"I think Deans has what it takes to be the best Canadian reliever in this league,” said Eakin. “We are confident that we can throw him into any situation and expect him to get big outs for us. The sky truly is the limit for Brandon."