Poor man’s Ben Revere: Twins sign OF Antoan Richardson
By Nam Huynh
When the Twins traded Ben Revere to the Phillies, they traded away a 5-foot-9, 169-pound speedy base runner that is an above average outfielder.
Coincidentally, the Twins recently signed a 5-foot-8, 165-pound speedy base runner that is an above average outfielder to a minor league contract.
The Twins signed free agent outfielder Antoan Richardson, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. He’ll likely end up at Double-A New Britain or Triple-A Rochester.
Richardson, 29, is surprisingly similar to the recently departed Revere. In eight minor league seasons, Richardson batted .277/.398/.741, stole 279 bases and had a 0.80 walk-to-strikeout ratio. In Revere’s six minor league seasons, he batted .326/.383/.787, stole 158 bases and had a 0.85 walk-to-strikeout ratio.
Richardson minor league stats:
Revere minor league stats:
The two even have a similar arm and elbow movement when at the plate. There is one difference: Revere bats left, whereas Richardson is a switch-hitter.
Both players have similar traits defensively as well, as both are considered above average fielders with below average arms. Richardson was rated the “Best Defensive Outfielder” in the San Francisco Giants system for the 2007 season by Baseball America.
Richardson made his major league debut in 2011, appearing in just nine games for the Braves. In four plate appearances that season, he had two singles and a stolen base.
Eddy also reports the Twins signed shortstop Doug Bernier to a minor league contract.