The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

SIDELINED by yet another setback on his road to recovery, Bahamian Major League Baseball (MLB) player Antoan Richardson took the time to discuss his process and how a “new era” in Bahamian baseball can have a negative effect on the young prospects looking to break into the majors at an early age.

Richardson is now with the Texas Rangers organisation but his time away from the game has given him an opportunity to analyse the direction of Bahamian baseball and how he can serve it once his playing days are done.

No longer affiliated with the Maximum Development Sports Academy, Richardson said his cause will now focus on educating those invested in the game from parents, to players and coaches.

“I’m not a part of the organisation anymore and I came to the realisation that it was probably best that I’m not involved moving forward. It probably was in my best interest to not be involved and move forward. We are all getting too much selective information and there’s a possibility five years from now we are disappointed because we didn’t have all of our facts and we didn’t really know what was going on,” he said. “As excited as I am about baseball and the direction it is headed I do have concerns about this process. If we’re not educated about it and not putting the children first - it could be a great thing but it could end up at the other end of the spectrum as well.”

Since 2013, 10 Bahamian prospects have been signed to the pipeline of Major League Baseball franchises, three through the draft and additional seven through international free agency.

“I know we’re going into a new era in terms of baseball, kids signing to pro baseball at this young age is something new for our generation. I know other people will want to get involved in the business aspect of this but at the end of the day we have to mold these kids into becoming successful young men. You don’t see the young guys displaying that characteristic, so for me I think we have to do a better job teaching them how to be professionals. We have to teach them responsibility, accountability, discipline and what that will do is allow them to be in the game long enough to actually achieve their goals,” Richardson said.

“You have to educate yourself before you make that step. For the average person we see the money and the bright lights but we don’t see the journey. And I think it’s important for everyone involved to become educated on the process. People are going to come into our country and tell them everything we want to hear. I mean who doesn’t want to hear that. They won’t tell you that they tell that to every kid that they sign. Every scout I met has told me the same thing. One thing that’s important to our people is education so they would put it into the contract. They will promise a lump sum for you to go back to school after your time in the majors but there are a number of things they won’t tell you. They won’t tell you that you may be discouraged from going back to school. What they don’t tell you that they will give you offseason obligations to make it more difficult for you to find that time to go back to school. What they don’t tell you is that after years in the minors, with inflation and when school fee rises, you are responsible for paying that balance. I know less than 10 per cent actually use that opportunity to go back and the guys that do are usually the ones that completed two to three years of college to begin with. Advisors get paid, their success reflects on the dollar signs these kids get effect what they get. Not everyone is like this but these are things we have to consider.”

Originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 27th round of the 2011 draft, Richardson continued his career at American Heritage and graduated from Vanderbilt University before he was drafted for the third time, this time by the San Francisco Giants in the 35th round in 2005.

He made his MLB debut in September 2011 with the Atlanta Braves and received his second MLB call up last season in a much acclaimed 13-game stint with the New York Yankees. He signed a free agent contract with the Texas Rangers this past offseason.

Through the decade-long struggle of making his way through the minor league process, Richardson helped him to adjust this season as he was hampered by a bulging disk in his back and a broken bone in his foot.

“I shifted to a mentorship kind of role in rookie ball and it brought me full circle full year about 10 years ago. You live, you learn and you have to go through some things to get to the point where I am now. If I think about it and be realistic with myself, my injury concern now is the foot and the fact is I have to run on that, that’s my weapon so it could be career altering. I have an engineering degree from Vanderbilt University and at the same time I’ve been in the game for a while now too so I may be able to deal with it a little better, but I couldn’t help but think, ‘what if I was one of the 18 or 19 year olds just trying to make it?’ I was nervous about getting the surgery, but then I got a sense of calm over me. I was nervous about my career but I realised, I was prepared for the life after baseball.”

As for his Texas Rangers, who played game five of the American League Divisional Series against the Toronto Blue Jays last night, Richardson said he regrets not being able to participate and help the club throughout the season.

“That group of guys in that clubhouse, they believed in themselves and they proved a lot of people wrong. I wished I could be a part of it with them and help in that aspect of it. Anytime you come to a new place you want to do well on your contract and you feel bad that you’re not able to deliver the services they brought you in for, so it was unfortunate,” he said. “Last year I remember having a conversation with Derek [Jeter] about not necessarily having expectations, but just going out and doing your best. With those expectations you tend to get too far ahead of yourself sometimes and with that can come bigger disappointments. It’s better to just control what you can control. I had goals but not expectations so to speak. It’s not easy but all I can do is get healthy and get back to doing what you were doing before. It’s just a matter of patience and understanding that’s a part of the game.”

As for his post playing career, he said he will find a way to give back to Bahamian baseball.

“I see myself perhaps as an agent, in a teaching role, mentoring players, educating parents and really doing my best with the experience that I have. We have to always remember the Major Leagues is about the players and their dreams not about the parents and their goals and the coaches and their vanity. If we continue with that concept about the players and their dreams and we always put them first then we will continue to grow and we will always have a win-win situation.”