The Tribune

AFTER an eventful eight-month season with the New York Mets, first baseman coach Antoan Richardson said he’s delighted to be back home.

Richardson, a former Major League player from 2011-2014, opened a five-day camp with local organisations Batter’s Box and LDK yesterday at the Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium and, although the numbers were not what he anticipated, he’s still pleased to get it going.

“I understand that school won’t be closed until Wednesday so some of the kids who wanted to come could not make it right now,” Richardson said. “But we will be here until Saturday and we will work with them as they come. I’m just happy that I am able to come home and make a contribution to the development of the sport.”

After teaming up with Batters Box for the first camp in the summer, Richardson said he’s glad to come back and share with the local organisation once again.

“You have these other countries with these Major League baseball players and Major League coaches and that’s one of the reasons why they are succeeding,” he said.

“So I just want to do what they are doing and that is to give back what I’ve learned as a Major League baseball player and a coach. So I just want people to come out and give the information so that they can share it with the local baseball players here.”

Lindon Wallace, the owner of the Batter’s Box, which is geared towards players between the ages of 4-8 years, said it was good for them to join up with LDK to host another camp for the youngsters, especially during the Christmas break. “I think the first day was unexpected because a lot of the kids are still in school,” he said. “But this gives us an opportunity to have more individual workouts with those here.

“We want to raise the standard a little higher than it is in this country and camps like these with a person like Antoan Richardson lending his support can make it so much more enjoyable.

Former softball player Shawnte Curtis, the director of baseball and softball development at LDK, said this is another opportunity for the players to come out and develop their skills.

“We saw the success of our summer camp and we thought that the kids got a lot out of it, so everytime that they get a break, we want to give them the opportunity to still come out and work out,” she said.

“We don’t want them to just be doing nothing. So it’s always a good opportunity for them to come out and improve their skills. We have a lot of expert instructors out here, people that really take pride in player development, so we want to learn from these professionals.”

One of those players, Chamare Rahming, a 13-year-old student at FDS Academy, said it’s always good when he can compete in camps like these.

“I need to work on my hitting, so I’m glad that I can do that here,” he said. “Plus, it’s good to be around a former Major Leaguer, who can help you to improve on your game.” 

Curtis said it’s always good to be in the presence of Richardson, who possesses a wealth of knowledge that she can pass on to the players she interacts with. “As an instructor, I myself have learned so much from Antoan and I know the kids will benefit tremendously from him. He brings minor and major league baseball experiences as a player and coach and that is invaluable, so it’s always a good time when he comes down.”

The camp, which runs from 9am to noon daily, will wrap up on Saturday.