The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

The long, winding road toward Major League Baseball (MLB) stability took another turn for Antoan Richardson as he moved one step closer to a second stint in the major leagues.

Richardson was called up to triple-A Norfolk Tides after spending much of the year with the Bowie Baysox, both of the Baltimore Orioles franchise.

In 22 games with the Baysox, Richardson hit .313 with 12 runs, three RBI and five stolen bases.

Richardson, 28, became a free agent after being outrighted off the Braves' 40-man roster following the end of the regular season.

The speedy outfielder made his major league debut on September 4, 2011 in a 4-3 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pinch-hitting for starting pitcher Randall Delgado, he singled to center field on the first pitch he saw in the fifth inning.

He spent the majority of the season with Double-A Mississippi, batting .283 with one home run, 21 RBI, 17 stolen bases.

Originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 27th round of the 2001 amateur draft, Richardson decided to delay the MLB system and stayed at American Heritage School in Delray Beach, Florida, until he was drafted for the third time, this time by the San Francisco Giants in the 35th round in 2005.

He went on to play in the pipelines with both the Giants and the Atlanta Braves until the Braves called him up to the MBL where he made his debut in September.

In nine games with the Braves, Richardson went 2-for-4 with a stolen base, scoring two runs.

After being released out of his free agency agreement November 2, 2011 Richardson signed with the Orioles as a free agent on December 16 where he started his pro journey all over again.

In an interview with The Tribune this offseason, he discussed the high and low points of the path to the major leagues.

"The guys who are responsible for how my career goes, I will let them make that decision. I will just take care of what I have to take care of (playing baseball)," he said.

"In order to get that big contract, you need to go up there and perform. Yes, you need that opportunity but the thing is, in order to be successful at this game, you have to put the business part of it on the side and focus on what you have to do."

He dominated on the basepaths at each point during his journey.

In his time with the Giants, he stole 40 bases in short-season Arizona League in his debut, 66 more at Class A Augusta in 2006 and 43 at Advanced A San Jose in 2007. He stole 33 bases with Double-A Connecticut in 2009 but was released that summer and played independent league baseball for a while before Atlanta came calling in the spring of 2010.