Revived Royals renew Highway 7 rivalry
Guelph signs player accused in 2009 Dominican killing
KITCHENER — Angel Villalona is a man in need of a second chance in baseball. He found a team looking for its second chance, too.
The former top prospect of the San Francisco Giants is expected to put on a Guelph Royals uniform soon as the revived team returns itself to respectability in the Intercounty Baseball League.
A year ago, things looked grim for the Royals, a team that traces its roots back to 1861. After a dismal start to the season, the club folded and put itself up for sale.
Under new owner Shawn Fuller, a Kitchener sporting goods entrepreneur, the Royals are a much-improved club, despite what their 7-15 record suggests.
They’re beating top teams, and are staying in games that used to be blowouts. In the process, they’ve revived an old rivalry with the first-place Kitchener Panthers.
The teams are set to clash Saturday night in Guelph and Sunday afternoon in Kitchener. So far, the Panthers are 2-0 on their season series, but their first matchup was an extra-innings pitcher’s duel.
The 2018 Royals have notably improved pitching, led by young Dominican righty Edwin Javier, the league leader in strikeouts with 72, who looks on pace to shatter the IBL record.
Their lineup is also better, thanks to slugger Sean Reilly — who recently had his 900th hit — Josh Garton, Justin Interisano and new additions like outfielder Ethan Mohan, who’s hitting .400 in 10 games.
And with the playoffs looming in August, they’ve loaded up on reinforcements.
One of the most anticipated additions to the Royals is Villalona.
But the slugging infielder, who remains in the Dominican until his visa is approved, comes with a complicated past.
In 2009, he was charged in the shooting death of 25-year-old Mario De Jesus Velete after a bar fight in his native La Romana, Dominican Republic. He was acquitted of the charge, after Villalona reportedly paid the victim’s family about $138,000 to avoid a civil lawsuit.
Fuller said Villalona, who he met on a scouting trip this winter, is excited to play baseball in Canada and deserves the benefit of the doubt.
“It’s a difficult situation,” Fuller said. “At the end of the day, he was never convicted of any crime, and we’re not here to judge. We’re just here to play baseball.”
Villalona signed for $2.1-million with the Giants when he was just 16, and there’s some suggestion that money made him a target in his hometown.
“I don’t have any questions about his character. I think he got caught up in a bad situation when he was much younger,” Fuller said.
While Villalona, now 27, has put on some weight, Fuller believes there’s still that same power that once cranked 84 minor-league home runs.
The Royals also signed IBL veteran John Waltenbury, standout college catcher Liam Hicks and the power-hitting Chris Procopio — brother of former Panthers pitcher Dan Procopio, who was drafted by the Angels last year.
The Panthers, meanwhile, also added some depth at the signing deadline.
Zach Johnson, an outfielder who had been playing in Germany, has three games under his belt, while infielder Liam Wilson and rehabbing pitcher Kyle McKay have yet to see action.
Fuller wants to see some improved defence from his team, and hopes the Royals can start trotting out their best lineup more regularly as the playoffs approach. “If we’ve got everybody showing up and healthy, we’ve got a very scary top five or top six in the lineup,” he said.
This weekend will be a good test for the revived Royals, pitting themselves against a Panthers club that has been strong all season.
“I think it’s good for the fans,” Fuller said of the renewed rivalry between the two clubs.
“Kitchener may be the best team in the league, so for us, it’s exciting to keep those scores close.”