The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE path to solidify a career in Major League Baseball continues for Antoan Richardson and Albert Cartwright as the minor league season opened play last week.

Richardson now suits up for the New Britain Rock Cats, in the farm system of the Minnesota Twins organisation in the Double-A Eastern League, while Cartwright is with the Reading Fightin Phils of the Philadelphia Phillies organisation, and also of the Double A Eastern League.

Early in the season, Richardson has struggled at the plate and in three games he has hit just 1-9 for an average of .111, with two strikeouts and a .273 on base percentage.

Prior to opening day, 29-year-old Richardson spoke with the Tribune during preseason training with the Twins and said he was excited about the possibilities of another opportunity.

“Me and my agent think this is the best opportunity to get back in the Majors,” said Richardson, who played briefly for one season with the Atlanta Braves in 2010. “This is always the ultimate goal when you are playing the sport, so hopefully I can stay healthy throughout the year and I can get my break to play up there again with Minnesota.”

After getting drafted three different times, Richardson finally signed with the San Francisco Giants in 2005 and he worked his way through the minor league ranks until he was called up by Atlanta to the majors.

But after being released, he resigned with Baltimore in 2011 until he became a free agent and was picked up by Baltimore.

“Once I can put the numbers up, it shouldn’t take me that long to get back up to the majors,” Richardson said.

During their offseason, Richardson and Cartwright spent time at home working out and helping to develop some of the up and coming baseball players.

Cartwright is currently hitting 4-14 for an average of .286 and one RBI in three games thus far for the Phils.

“I’m just ready to get after it,” he said. “My career had its ups and

downs as a young boy going to the Astros, getting traded to the Phillies, then getting hurt. But it was a pleasure just waking up every day to play baseball. It’s what I dreamt about as a kid and it’s what I like.”

“I feel like every day you have something else to work on,” he said.

“So there’s a lot of little things that you have to keep doing to stay sharp.”

Cartwright began his career as a catcher but has shifted to the infield in the professional ranks. “So it’s been rough, but I’m glad that I don’t have to run around the whole field all day and making all of those throws from the outfield. It’s a lot longer than just throwing from second base,” he said.

Now in his third year with the Phillies, Cartwright said he has seen a progression year after year and is hopeful this will be the year for him to shine and eventually be like Richardson, calling himself a major league player.