Coming into spring training the belief was Minnesota Twins pitcher Simeon Woods-Richardson had a great shot at being on the team’s opening day roster. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound, 22-year-old posted a very respectable 2.21 ERA across seven starts at the Triple-A level and he had a memorable MLB debut in 2022, going five strong innings.
With the season set to begin on Thursday, the Twins opted to have Woods-Richardson continue to work on his craft at the minor league level. With Kenta Maeda, Pablo López, Tyler Mahle, Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober all ahead of Woods Richardson for a starting rotation spot, the best thing for him is to start off in the minors to get quality innings on the mound.
The St. Paul Saints Triple-A rotation will feature Woods Richardson and two other promising Twins pitching prospects in Bailey Ober and Louie Varland. Batters won’t enjoy facing these three at that level, which should bode well for Twins going forward.
Woods Richardson’s Journey Has Been Like A Movie
Currently ranked as the team’s No.7 overall prospect, Woods Richardson will be readying himself for when the Twins need a starter. His journey to this point has been anything but normal. Woods Richardson was traded twice before his 21st birthday going from the Mets to the Blue Jays as part of the Marcus Stroman deal in 2019.
And then the talented pitcher was moved again in 2021 from the Blue Jays to the Twins part of the Jose Berríos trade.
In all the young pitcher has taken it all in stride, but believes being in the “Twin Cities,” was destined.
Following a Mid-March outing against the Baltimore Orioles where he gave up a pair of runs in two innings, Woods Richardson reflected on his October call-up and how hard it is stay up there once you’re actually there.
“I think it was definitely fun for the family, I’d say. But I got back to work. I tried not to dwell on it too long even though I had a couple days out there,” Woods Richardson said. “Everybody’s knows it’s harder to stay up there than it is to get there. That’s all I’m trying to do day-by-day. Work on everything I need to work on to help the team win.”
Woods Got Anxiety Under Control
Considering the up-and-downs in his career, having a bit of anxiety isn’t all that shocking. But that anxiety was affecting his mechanics on the mound. In an effort to quell that, Woods Richardson began practicing meditation, breathing techniques and a better way to keep his emotions under control. Woods Richardson practices something called the 3-4-7 technique pregame, it’s from an app Breathwork.
Woods Richardson considers himself to be in a “calmer space,” since he began doing this.
“I’m not as ramped up and anxious and all that anymore,” he said. “You learn how to handle your emotions, learn breathing, learn how t control yourself, learn how to slow everything down and play your game, so I think that’s what I’ve been doing.”
Woods Richardson’s repertoire consists of four, go-to-pitches, his best two being a fastball, and an above-average changeup to keep hitters off-balance.
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