A prospect who didn’t quite get away from Jays
Simeon. A biblical name. From a Hebrew word meaning “hearkening.” As in to give heed. So hearken — or heed — Simeon Woods Richardson.
That was somewhat the argument Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins made when he defended acquiring the teenage pitcher from the New York Mets as part of the spoils for ridding the organization of Marcus Stroman at the trade deadline. It seemed a paltry mound of spoils, as per the backlash heaved at Atkins, reeling in a pair of pitching prospects — Woods Richardson and Anthony Kay — in exchange for their starting rotation stud.
Kay is much further along in his development trajectory and has since made three starts at Triple-A Buffalo. It’s likely the 24-year-old lefty will be summoned to Toronto when rosters expand in September. But Woods Richardson is the more intriguing get and the source of considerable Atkins enthusiasm.
The now-18-year-old had been heavily scouted by the Jays leading up to the 2018 draft and they were hopeful of landing him. The Mets got there first, taking the native of Sugar Land, Texas, in the second round.
“I had discussions with the Jays a lot,” Woods Richardson told the Star in a phone interview this past week. “They were talking about drafting me and I was totally on board for that. So second round comes around and the Mets take me just before the Jays were up. So I was almost a Blue Jay before I started.”
The six-foot-three, 210-pound righthander was in the car with his parents, headed for Port St. Lucie, having just been promoted to the Mets’ high Class-A affiliate in the Florida State League, when he learned that he was suddenly, if belatedly, Toronto property.
Stop the car, turn around, reorient for Dunedin instead.
He wasn’t particularly rattled by the news. As the parents pointed out to their only child, he should be pleased about the transition, honoured to be swapped for the likes of Stroman. And he is.
In fact, Woods Richardson is a Stroman fan, in some ways even a Stroman clone. He digs his on-mound theatrics, the cult of personality.
“I show a lot of emotion. There are moments in a game where you’ll definitely see similarities. Like when it comes to situations and I get that out or I get that perfect pitch, I’m always doing something. I’m a fast-twitch guy on the mound. Pace of play is very telling for me. If you see my pace getting faster and faster, it’s because I’m in a really good rhythm.
“A big strikeout, I’ll pace around the mound. But the shimmy-shake thing he does? Uh, I haven’t tried that. Yet.”
Neither Woods Richardson nor Kay appeared on any of the industry’s top 100 prospects lists, which accounts for much of the skepticism about Toronto’s return for Stroman. But the Mets had Woods Richardson ranked sixth in their internal evaluations. The Jays concur with that high-ceiling prospectus.
“We spent a lot of time watching him as an amateur,” Atkins said. “He had four Role 6s, which is not common. (In scouting lingo, that projects to No. 3 starter stuff, or an elite closer, though it’s way too early to lock in any forecasts)
“All of our subjective information aligned with our objective information.”
The book on the strapping teen, who is still growing and bulking up: an electric fastball that touches 97 m.p.h. (“I’ve pitched 98 once. I’m aiming for 6s and 7s but I range 92 to 94.”); exceptional plane that bores in on right-handed hitters; tight-spinning curveball with depth; a slider that is an out pitch; a developing circle change; aggressive, with an attack sensibility.
“The slider, that’s my strikeout pitch when I have a chance to put them away. I feel confident that I’ve developed my changeup this year. That’s my best friend for early contact, swings and misses.”
It was his grandma, Betty Blair, who taught him how to pitch as a young lad. “First of all, she taught me how to put a spiral on a football. Because I had a niche for throwing this. We played football every day. Then my mom was like, ‘Hey, you have a power arm, you should get on a mound.’ My early coaches too said, ‘Get on the mound, let’s see what you can do.’ And I’ve been in love with it ever since.”
The Jays, like every other major-league team, also looked at character and liked what they saw.
Further shades of Stroman: Woods Richardson doesn’t lack for self-confidence. He was 17 when he made a couple of rookie league stops last year, in the Gulf Coast and Appalachian leagues. He started this season with Columbia of the Class-A South Atlantic League.
“It was OK because I was very mature for my age. I’m very mature for my age now. I’ve always been around older people in my life. So leaving home wasn’t as hard as most people might thing. Me and my family are really close. They knew I was ready.”
He is one of only three 18year-olds (including top overall prospect Wander Franco, a Dominican in the Tampa Bay organization) to compete in the Florida State League this season, a little more than a year removed from high school. He is athletic enough that he was a two-way player until becoming a full-time pitcher.
“I want to bring that to the mound. My high school coach told me, just because you’re pitching doesn’t mean you can’t be athletic. Use that to your advantage. He’s the one who told me, try throwing fast-pace, see how you like it. So I started doing that and that’s just how I pitch now. Once I get in a rhythm, everything starts clicking. Faster … faster … if I still know what I’m doing, where I can control everything.”
Everything was tickety-boo until this May, when Woods Richardson confronted a stretch of rocky outings, allowing five earned runs over four consecutive start, never going more than four innings, his ERA ballooning to 10.89 for the month.
“Just overthinking,” he said. “Trying to be too fine, trying to be too perfect instead of pitching my own game. Trying to make sure everything was pitch-perfect. Like, if I do this, that might happen.” His coaches gave advice. “‘Look, you have great stuff, just trust it.’
“I made small adjustments mechanically, nothing too drastic. It was more about situating my hands. I was working on different grips for my curveball. After figuring that out, I got comfortable again. I’d got away from my game plan, myself, the kind of pitcher I was. Just go out and dominate. Have fun, just pitch.”
On the day of this conversation, Woods Richardson had gone five innings, no runs, one walk, five strikeouts. With the North Division-leading Dunedin Blue Jays, he is 2-2 after five starts with a 3.09 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 231⁄ 3 innings. He has allowed just 16 hits.
As an aside, the Jays also took a gander at Woods Richardson’s social media footprint. Like all teenagers, he is active on various platforms. Also like Stroman. But the Jays didn’t see anything that alarmed them. Mostly silly stuff, quotes from his favourite movies, references to favourite foods, exchanges with other baseball hopefuls. Nothing controversial.
“I’m very open, very social,” Woods Richardson said. “I enjoy giving people a chance to know who I am. I’m a big goofball.”
He now follows Jays players on Twitter. It was on social media, via Kay, that Woods Richardson became aware of this Canadian thing. “Poutine? Am I pronouncing that correctly? And … oxtails? The sweet stuff.”
Beaver Tails, we think he means.
He’s never been to Canada. “Been to Niagara Falls. The American side. I could see Canada. Does that count?”
A reasonable step-up for next year, says Atkins, would be Double-A New Hampshire.
“That’s completely up to the Blue Jays organization,’’ Woods Richardson said. “I’m here to help the (Dunedin) playoff push right now. Win a championship.
“Next couple of years? I see myself in the Blue Jays starting rotation and helping Toronto win a World Series.” Oh, that’s all. Why not?