Minnesota Twins Option Promising Young Hurler Simeon Woods Richardson To The Minors To Begin 2023 MLB Season

Minnesota Twins Option Promising Young Hurler Simeon Woods Richardson To The Minors To Begin 2023 MLB Season

by | Mar 29, 2023 | 6TH SLOT

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. 

 

Simeon Woods Richardson Was Quite Impressive In His MLBbro Debut For The Minnesota Twins

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.
Minnesota Twins Option Promising Young Hurler Simeon Woods Richardson To The Minors To Begin 2023 MLB Season

Simeon Woods Richardson Was Quite Impressive In His MLBbro Debut For The Minnesota Twins

by | Oct 5, 2022 | THE THREE SPOT

The Minnesota Twins had a new face on the mound during Sunday’s game against the Detroit Tigers. Simeon Woods Richardson made his MLB debut and started for the Twins.

The 22-year-old went five innings, giving up two earned runs and struck out three batters. He ended up taking the loss, but Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was impressed by his performance.

“He’s going to be thinking about this start for a long time, and he’s going to take it into the offseason, and he’s going to go over at-bats in his head, and he’s going to be thinking about that first inning, and he’s going to be thinking about the last inning, and everything in between,” Baldelli said in an article from mlb.com. “These are the reasons why we bring guys up and let them go out there and experience and compete and do all of these things.”

 

 

Woods Richardson was anxious during his debut, but after he got through the first inning, he was able to settle down.

“I was breathing for maybe half a second,” he said. “I was almost hyperventilating. But after the first inning was done, we got back into the zone. We got back into the rhythm, mental cues that I had, and just pitched my game.”

He became 13th Twins rookie to take the field in 2022 — the franchise’s second-consecutive losing season — and the youngest MLB pitcher to make a start on the mound this season as well. Woods Richardson was the 48th overall selection by the New York Mets in the 2018 draft. He was acquired from Toronto in the Jose Berrios trade a year ago. Before his promotion, the Texas native made seven starts in Triple-A and finished with a 2-0 record with a 2.21 ERA.

The day finally came for Woods Richardson. A moment he’s been waiting for since he began his professional career. Now that he’s got to experience an MLB game, he can use that going into the offseason as he prepares to make the team for the 2023 season.

“It put me on a better note for next year, see what I need to work on, see what I need to critique, see what I need to tackle in different game plans,” Woods Richardson said. “I think I loved all of that. Tried to soak it up as much as I can, tried not to let it rush me.”

This is a brother who could potentially be in the Twins rotation down the line. It’s good we got a chance to see what he has to offer.

MLBbros Figured Prominently In Trade Deadline Moves

MLBbros Figured Prominently In Trade Deadline Moves

by | Aug 1, 2021 | THE LEAD OFF

The MLB Trade deadline expired in dramatic fashion this Friday, and we saw several MLBbros from both the Bigs and the Minors move throughout the day. Now that the dust has settled, here are a few transactions that I think will shape the second half of the season. 

 

Blue Jays and Athletics Load Up for Wild Card Push

With the MLB ditching the Covid playoff format that saw 16 teams make the playoffs, this year’s Wild Card race will be a brawl compared to last year’s glorified participation contest.

With that in mind, we saw each AL Wild Card contender make some serious moves.

The Oakland A’s acquired our bro Josh Harrison, who may not garner as many clicks as other big names, but true to Oakland A’s history, Harrison’s the numbers check out with the best.

As of Saturday afternoon, Harrison had a higher on base percentatge (.366) than newly acquired Yankee Anthony Rizzo (.350) and only trails in OPS by .007 (.800 to Rizzo’s .807). 

Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays gave up a pair of young MLBbros for Minnesota Twins ace Jose Berrios.

The Jays sent highly-touted prospects SS/OF Austin Martin and RHP Simeon Woods-Richards back to the Twins, a move that shows the Jays think they can leapfrog the Yankees and Rays to make some noise this year.

 

White Sox Get Reinforcements

Tim Anderson and the Chicago White Sox have October in their sights. 

The White Sox acquired second basemen Cesar Hernandez from Cleveland and reliever Ryan Tepera from the crosstown Cubs on Thursday, filling the hole at second left by the season-ending injury to Nick Madrigal and shoring up their bullpen.

This would have been a win for most teams, but the Sox weren’t finished. With only a few hours left before the deadline ended, the White Sox flipped the injured Madrigal across town to acquire closer Craig Kimbrel, pairing him with Liam Hendriks in what is easily the best back-end in baseball.

Now, after battling injuries all season, the White Sox look like a team with scary depth headed into the home stretch. MLBbro’s Billy Hamilton and Brian Goodwin will transition to utility roles as the team gets its stars back, which will make this team tough to beat come postseason.

 

Mets Look to Lock Down Division 

My good brother Kev in Morre just spoke about the heavy lifting Dominic Smith will have to do down the stretch for the Mets, but after Friday’s deadline, he won’t have to do it alone. 

Dominic Smith Will Have To Do Some Heavy Lifting For NY Mets Down The Stretch

 

The Mets acquired slugging shortstop Javier Baez from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for outfield prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong.

The trade gives New York a tremendous power hitter (who’s also struck out 131 times) and unites Baez with his best friend, Francisco Lindor.

Javy has already agreed to shift to second base when Lindor returns from an oblique strain, setting the Mets up nicely for a stretch run. 

MLBbros Taijuan Walker and Marcus Stroman will surely appreciate the extra pop in the lineup, and with recent news of a setback to Jacob deGrom, they will certainly need it. 

 

Tai Walker & Stro Show | Black Baseball History In The Making In Flushing

 

Dodgers Keep Printing Money

“You come at the king, you best not miss.”

Mookie and the Dodgers have done it again. As the hype began to swirl around their little bros down in San Diego, the defending world champions reminded the baseball world that there’s really levels to this. 

The Dodgers acquired three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer and All-Star shortstop Trae Turner in exchange for four top prospects, including one young MLB bro I told you to put on your radar.

23-year old hurler Josiah Gray was a key part of the deal, as he recently made his major league debut and is more MLB ready than the other prospects.

This move out of LA should eliminate a lot of pressure for early success for Gray, which could help the young pitcher’s development. 

 

There’s A Brother On The Rubber In LA | Josiah Gray Time For The Dodgers

 

As for Mookie and the Dodgers, anything less than a repeat could be seen as a failure, but this of course is baseball and nothing is written in stone. 

Team USA Names Five Black Players To Olympic Qualifying Roster

Team USA Names Five Black Players To Olympic Qualifying Roster

by | May 25, 2021 | THE THREE SPOT

 By Jaelen Ogadhoh | MLBbro.com Intern

Olympic baseball is back for the first time since 2008, and a few notable MLBbros are onboard.

USA Baseball released its 28-man training camp roster on Sunday, and five Black players are in the lineup. Among those players are major league veterans Matt Kemp, Edwin Jackson, and Anthony Gose, and minor leaguers Clayton Andrews and Simeon Woods Richardson. The final roster will be cut to 26 on Sunday, May 30.

 

 

“I’ve put on a lot of different jerseys, but this one will be special in a different way,” said Jackson to MLBbro.com on Monday. “I’m not only playing to represent myself and my family but our country.”

Kemp began his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006-2014, where he earned two all-star appearances, two Golden Gloves, and two Silver Slugger awards. After brief stints with the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves, the 36-year-old outfielder returned to the Dodgers in 2018 where he earned his third all-star appearance in an incredible comeback story.

READ MORE: Matt Kemp Got His All-Star Swagger Back

He played for the Cincinnati Reds in 2019, and the Colorado Rockies in 2020 where he batted .239 with six home runs in 43 games. He is currently unsigned but could earn MLB teams’ interest with a strong showing in the Olympics.

Jackson made history in 2019 by pitching for his 14th different major league team, the most by any player in history. The 37-year-old played 17 years in the majors, earning an all-star appearance in 2009 with the Detroit Tigers, where he struck out 161 with 70 walks and posted an ERA+ of 125.

 

 

Gose played centerfield for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2012-2014 and for the Detroit Tigers from 2016-2016, batting .240/.309/.348 over his five-year major league career. Since leaving the Tigers, the 30-year-old has converted to pitcher and played in the minors within the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers organizations before joining the Cleveland Indians AA affiliate team in 2021.

Andrews was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018 and currently plays for their AA affiliate team. Through seven games, the 24-year-old lefthander is 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA. His ability to make batters swing and miss is evident as he struck out 11 with 7 walks in 9 innings. His WHIP sits at 1.29.

Woods Richardson was drafted by the New York Mets in 2018, and the 20-year-old right-hander is 1-0 through four games with the Toronto Blue Jays AA affiliate team. He currently has a 2.37 ERA with 31 strikeouts and eight walks in 19 innings. His WHIP sits at 1.16.

 

 

No players currently on MLB rosters are participating in the qualifiers as the Olympics will be held during the season. The team will be managed by Mike Scioscia.

The Road to Tokyo for the U.S. starts with the Americas Olympic Qualifier against Nicaragua on May 31 at 5 p.m. ET from Clover Park in St. Lucie, Florida. The qualifying tournament also features the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Venezuela and Colombia, and the winner will clinch the fifth spot in the Olympics.

The second-and third-place teams from the tournament will then compete with the Netherlands, Australia and Taiwan, and for the sixth and final spot. 

Baseball is returning to the Olympics this year for the first time since the 2008 Games in Beijing, where USA Baseball took home the bronze medal. The U.S. won its only gold medal in baseball in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and looks to return to the mountaintop once again this summer.

And some MLBbros will be front and center.