Trevor Richards

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Trevor Michael Richards

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Biographical Information[edit]

Pitcher Trevor Richards was not drafted coming out of Drury University in 2015, where he finished second in school history with 230 strikeouts. He signed with the Gateway Grizzlies of the independent Frontier League. He went 6-6, 3.36 in 14 starts in his first season as a pro, then 3-3, 3.21 in 9 games at the start of the 2016 season. On July 7, 2016, he signed a contract with the Miami Marlins and was assigned to the Batavia Muckdogs of the New York-Penn League; after 3 games, he was promoted to the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the South Atlantic League. Between the two affiliated teams, he was 2-3, 2.48 in 11 games. In 2016 he split the season between the Jupiter Hammerheads of the Florida State League and the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp of the Southern League, being promoted just after he pitched in the FSL All-Star Game. He had an excellent year, finishing at 12-11, 2.53 in 27 games (25 starts), pitching 146 innings and striking out 158 opponents (against just 30 walks).

Richards went to spring training with the major league Marlins in 2018 and made the team as the fifth starter. However, he was rocked in his debut against the Boston Red Sox on April 2nd, giving up 5 runs on 8 hits in 4 1/3 innings to be charged with a 7-3 loss. He had started off well, retiring the first seven batters he faced, before running into trouble in the middle innings. He ended up making 25 starts for Miami, pitching 126 1/3 innings with a record of 4-9, 4.42 and striking out 130 batters. He was back in the Marlins' starting rotation in 2019 and was having pretty much a repeat of his rookie season, going 3-12, 4.50 in 23 games, with 103 strikeouts in 112 innings. However, on July 31st, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays alongside Nick Anderson in return for two more pitchers, Jesus Sanchez and Ryne Stanek. It was Anderson who grabbed headlines, pitching lights out for the Rays after the trade, while Richards was used as a swingman with 3 starts in 7 appearances over the final two months. He was 3-0, 1.92 for his new team, not the first pitcher to find his mojo after moving to Tampa, but he did not appear in the postseason. He then only saw limited action in 2020, when the season was cut down to 60 games by the Coronavirus pandemic. He made 9 appearances, including 4 starts, for the Rays, and had no decisions while posting an ERA of 5.91 in 32 innings. Once again, he was not used in the postseason as the Rays made it all the way to the World Series.

In 2021, he was used out of the bullpen by the Rays at the start of the season, but had only made 6 appearances, totaling 12 innings, with his lone decision being his first career save, when he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on May 21st. He accompanied SS Willie Adames, the biggest name in the transaction, while the Rays received Ps J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen in return. He did not stay long in Milwaukee, going 3-0, 3.20 in 15 games before being traded again on July 6th. This time, he headed to the Toronto Blue Jays along with minor leaguer Bowden Francis in return for 1B Rowdy Tellez.

During his time in the independent leagues, he held a number of odd jobs to make ends meet, including substitute elementary school teacher and working for the Miller-Coors Brewery.

Further reading[edit]

  • JR Radcliffe: "In one year, this Marlins pitcher went from working at MillerCoors to pitching at Miller Park", The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 19, 2018. [1]

Related Sites[edit]

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