5/01/25
The Fr. earned his way to the varsity level after starting off the spring playing on JV as Matt Merricks the St. Bonaventure HC allowed him to get comfortable with high school baseball before exposing him to varsity level pitching. Wiry and athletically built presently there is solid athleticism with some twitch to the profile for Richardson with projection across a frame that looks to stay up the middle defensively (has experience on INF dirt in addition to CF). The operation in the box for the RH hitter is athletic with body control and shows a consistent load, feel for his rhythm/timing to land in the launch position on time while showing a quality lower ½ turn and fluid bat path with leverage through the zone. Being on the leaner side presently his bat speed is sound, but as he adds strength you can see it trending into strong to impact potential bat speed which could make him a dynamic offensive player in the future. His contact was predominantly on the ground with one line drive to the OF when he was able to get through the bottom half of a baseball for a solid L-8, but there is present bat to ball in the profile with some barrel awareness which will improve as he faces more varsity level pitching. Richardson flashed intriguing arm strength during INF/OF carrying his throws to 3B in the air from regular depth and the gaps while one hopping home plate from medium range distance with low carry, although his accuracy will need to improve as he matures. Add in quickness to his run tool and solid present instincts for the ball in the air, first step to go with solid angles he profiles to be a strong defender in CF who has impact potential in the future. With an intriguing present foundation of tools, athleticism and projection Richardson will be a no doubt follow for me in the 2028 class to see how high his future ceiling rises as he heads toward the recruiting process in the future.