The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THEY spent the past four months here at home working out and helping to develop some of the up and coming baseball players. Now Antoan Richardson and Albert Cartwright are preparing to return to Florida to continue their quest to play in the Major League.

Today, Cartwright is scheduled to leave for Clearewater to rejoin the Philadelphia Phillies organisation, while on Thursday, Richardson is slated to depart for the San Francisco Giants organisation’s training in Fort Myers.

Before they left, they both sat down with The Tribune to talk about their future in an interview that was conducted at Crave At Studio Deli, operated by their long-time friend and former team-mate Geron Sands and his wife Danielle.

Unlike Richardson and Cartwright, Sands only played for about two seasons in 2007-08 before he returned home and has been making a contribution as a coach in the junior league and playing softball in the New Providence Softball Association with the Hitmen.

“He’s been taking care of our nutrition, making sure that we eat healthy,” said Richardson about Sands. “We really thought that he would have gotten the opportunity to go with us to play in Germany, but it all happened so fast that we didn’t get to make it happen. But he’s been our biggest fan. He’s been more dedicated to this than us. He’s been in our corner through all of this.”

During their stay here, Sands said he got an opportunity to work out with both players and he was amazed at the way they were able to keep their bodies in shape as elite athletes to be successful.

“Antoan is a warrior. He’s been in it forever and ever. He’s not going to stop until he’s satisfied with his success,” Sands said. “I like the spirit of Albert. If he plays up to his potential, we can see him in a major league uniform this year, as well as Antoan. He really has a good chance of getting back up there. I think the work they put in this season is what they both needed to get over the hump.”

Richardson, 29, said he’s excited about the prospects of spring training with the Twins.

“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.

“I just want to get right back in the thick of things,” said Richardson, who is expected to start back in the minors. “Once I can put the numbers up, it shouldn’t take me that long to get back up to the majors.”

While home, Richardson said he spent a great deal of time working with the junior players at Freedom Farm and he and Cartwright also got the opportunity to bring down some scouts from the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants to look at the talent available here.

“It’s been good, but it’s been tough looking at it while you’re playing,” said Richardson about his career so far. “I deem it a success, coming from a boy who didn’t make my high school softball team when I tried out to reaching the highest point in playing in the major league.

“But I’m not going to close the book yet. I still feel there is a lot more left in the tank. I’m excited about what the future holds.”

Richardson said while he and Cartwright have been good friends off the field, there would be nothing more gratifying for both of them if they can be playing in the majors, whether it’s on the same team or against each other.

“We do a good job of trying to push each other to the limit and getting the most out of our bodies,” Richardson said. “It’s been a good off season with each of us holding each other accountable for getting the work done to get ready for the season.”

Having had the opportunity to play in the majors, Richardson said he was thankful, but he believes that with his skill level, he belongs there and he’s eager to work his way back up there this year.

For those younger players who are looking at following in their footsteps, Richardson encouraged them to “stick with it because there opportunities are going to be a lot greater than ours with people coming down to look at them. I anticipate within the next 4-5 years, we will have a lot of scouts coming here.

“Both the Rangers and the Giants were so impressed with what they saw in the short time that they were here that they are already talking about coming back in the next few months because of the talent they saw and the athleticism that they believe they can find here.”

Within the next 6-10 years, Richardson said he’s convinced that the Bahamas can produce just as much players that have already gone through both the minor and major league from the time that the late Andre Rodgers made the breakthrough as a shortstop from 1957 with New York to Pittsburgh when he quit in 1967.

Richardson, who started playing the game as a catcher, has moved to the infield, the mound and now the outfield. He said he’s enjoying his role because of the speed that he has from his background as a former track and field star that excelled in the 400 metres.

“I like to run around. I have a lot of energy. Albert those give me a hard time. They are trying to figure out how is it, I’m older than them, but I like to run more than them,” Richardson said. “I kind of use my speed to the best of my ability. I take pride in my speed and I try to take away as many hits from the opposite players that I played against.”

For Cartwright, he is having a bitter-sweet moment as he prepares to report to training camp.

“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.”

The 24-year-old said he still has time on his side to reach his ultimate goal of playing in the majors.

“That is what we strive for. That is what we work towards,” he said. “That’s where you want to take your career to and where you want to play. I feel I have the ability to play up there just as Antoan.”

Talking about Richardson and his brief journey in the majors, Cartwright said he thought he heard a joke, but he was delighted when he made it.

In his quest to make it to the next level, Cartwright said he’s prepared to make the necessary adjustments to play at the next level.

“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 also started playing the game as a catcher but found himself making the adjustment to playing as an infielder. But when he played in high school, he went to the outfield. However, as a professional player, he was brought back in the infield.

“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 he’s eager to return and hopefully this will be the year for him to shine and eventually be like Richardson, calling himself a major league player.

“We are like brothers. We are here to work, to push each other,” Cartwright said. “We are trying to take baseball to the next level and help out as much as we can.”

Cartwright said he was just stunned to see the interest that the local young players have in the game. He said he and Richardson are just trying to continue to pave the way for others to follow.