Antoan Edward Richardson (born October 8, 1983) is a Bahamian

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

first base

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He is a former MLB

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

who played for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

in 2011 and the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

in 2014. He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

Palm Beach Community College Palm Beach State College is a public college in Lake Worth, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. Palm Beach State College enrolls nearly 27,000 students in over 100 programs of study including bachelor of applied science, associa ...

and

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

before his professional career.

Personal

Richardson was born in

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

, in

the Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...

. He grew up in the Bahamas, raised by his single mother and grandparents.Antoan Richardson
"My Journey Home,"
''The Players Tribune''. In seventh grade, he was cut from his school's

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

team. After his playing days, Richardson founded

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

Project Limestone to provide youth programs that encourage young people to respect their peers, to work together, to define their goals and set them on a path to achieve those goals. Its focus is in the classroom, in sports, and in the community.

High school and college

Richardson attended American Heritage High School in

Delray Beach Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020 was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States Census. Located 52 miles (83 kilometers) north of Miami, Delray Beach is in the ...

, a suburb of Boca Raton, Florida, on scholarship after a coach from the school noticed him. There, he played baseball and football and was class

salutatorian Salutatorian is an academic title given in the United States, Armenia, and the Philippines to the second-highest-ranked graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is tradi ...

. As a senior he was named to the 2001 Class 1A All-state high school baseball second team by the Florida Sports Writers Association. He then attended

on an athletic scholarship, passing up an opportunity to attend Brown University on full scholarship. Richardson next attended

, where he played

for the

Vanderbilt Commodores baseball The Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team is an American National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college baseball team. From Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, the team participates in the Eastern division of the Southeastern Co ...

team from 2004 to 2005. He was drafted in the 27th round of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft out of high school, the 27th round of the

2002 Major League Baseball Draft The 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 4 and 5. It is featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book ''Moneyball''. First round selections Supplemental first round compensation selections * * ...

, the 13th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft, and the 35th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. In 2004, he played collegiate summer baseball with the

Orleans Cardinals The Orleans Firebirds, formerly the Orleans Cardinals, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Orleans, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Firebirds play ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League. In December 2008 he earned his

engineering science Engineering physics, or engineering science, refers to the study of the combined disciplines of physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, and engineering, particularly computer, nuclear, electrical, electronic, aerospace, materials or mechanical en ...

degree from Vanderbilt.

Playing career

San Francisco Giants

The

signed Richardson after they took him in the 35th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. In 2005 he batted .321/.465 (4th in the league)/.378 with 45 runs (tied for the league lead), 44

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

s (leading the league), 7

sacrifice hit In baseball, a sacrifice bunt (also called a sacrifice hit) is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball, before there are two outs, in a manner that allows a baserunner to advance to another base. The batter is almost always put out, an ...

s (tied for 2nd in the league), 8 hit by pitch (tied for 5th in the league) and 40 stolen bases (leading the league) in 193 at bats for the Rookie

AZL Giants The Arizona Complex League Giants are a professional baseball team competing as a Rookie-level affiliate of the San Francisco Giants in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Scottsdale Stadium in S ...

, and was a 2005 Post-Season

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it ...

All Star. In 2006 he batted .292/.381/.366 with 7 sacrifice hits (tied for 7th in the league) and 66 stolen bases (3rd) in 418 at bats for the

Augusta GreenJackets The Augusta GreenJackets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina, which opened in April 2018. They previo ...

of the Class A California League. In 2007 he batted .279/.399/.362 with 7 triples (2nd in the league), 67 walks (5th), 11 hit by pitch (9th), and 43 stolen bases (2nd) in 384 at bats for the

San Jose Giants The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark. Games San Jose Giants ga ...

of the Class A-Advanced

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

. '' Baseball America'' named Richardson the best defensive outfielder in the Giants organization. In 2008 he batted .241/.356/.329 with 12 hit by pitch (leading the league), 10 sacrifice hits (6th), and 33 stolen bases (leading the league) in 365 at bats for the

Connecticut Defenders The Connecticut Defenders were a Minor League Baseball team based in Norwich, Connecticut. The team, which played in the Eastern League, was the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major-league club from 2003 until following the 2009 ...

of the Class AA Eastern League. Richardson began the 2009 season with Connecticut, batting .207/.320/.287 in 87 at bats. He was then released by the Giants on July 24, 2009.

Schaumburg Flyers

He then played for the remainder of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 for the

Schaumburg Flyers The Schaumburg Flyers were a professional baseball team based in Schaumburg, Illinois, in the United States. The Flyers were to be charter members of the North American League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, but the team fol ...

of the independent Northern League. In 2009 he batted .287/.419/.404 with 20 stolen bases in 94 at bats, and in 2010 Richardson batted .375/.474/.438 in 16 at bats.

Atlanta Braves

In May 2010, Richardson signed a minor league contract with the

. In the remainder of the 2010 season he played primarily for the

Mississippi Braves The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and plays in the Southern League. ...

in the Class AA Southern League, batting .279/.393 (10th in the league)/.316 with 12 hit by pitch (4th) and 24 stolen bases in 272 at bats. Richardson played most of 2011 for the Mississippi Braves, and batted .283/.430 (tied for second in the league, behind

Paul Goldschmidt Paul Edward Goldschmidt (born September 10, 1987) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Lightly recruited out of The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas, Golds ...

)/.327 with 11 hit by pitch (fifth) and 17 stolen bases in 272 at bats. He was a 2011 MiLB.com Atlanta Braves Organization All Star. Richardson was called up to the majors for the first time on September 4, 2011, and recorded his first career hit, a single to right field, off

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

pitcher

Clayton Kershaw Clayton Edward Kershaw (born March 19, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) . He has played for the Dodgers for the entirety of his MLB career. A left-handed starting pi ...

in his first career Major League at bat. He became the sixth player from the Bahamas to play in the major leagues. He batted 2-for-4 with a stolen base in 2011 for the Braves.

Baltimore Orioles

On December 31, 2011, Richardson signed a minor league contract with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. In 2012 he played primarily for the Bowie Baysox of the Class AA Eastern League, batting .279/.415 (3rd in the league)/.331 with 8 sacrifice hits (5th) and 26 stolen bases (6th) in 290 at bats. Richardson played three games for Team Great Britain in the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Lea ...

qualifiers in 2012, going 1-for-10 with a walk.

Minnesota Twins

He signed with the Minnesota Twins organization in February 2013, and played with the organization that season. He split the season between the

New Britain Rock Cats The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado Rockies for one. They played ...

of the Eastern League, for whom he batted .336/.456/.403 with 14 stolen bases in 119 at bats, and the Rochester Red Wings of the Class AAA International League, for whom he batted .265/.381/.358 with 9 sacrifice hits (tied for 3rd in the league) and 25 stolen bases (5th; while being caught twice) in 302 at bats. Richardson was a 2013 MiLB.com Minnesota Twins Organization All Star.

New York Yankees

On November 13, 2013, Richardson signed a minor league contract with the

. After playing the minor league season with the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

in the International League for whom he batted .271/.380/.364 with 14 hit by pitch (leading the league), seven sacrifice hits (tied for ninth), and 26 stolen bases (fifth; while being caught once) in 258 at bats, the Yankees promoted Richardson to the major leagues on September 2, 2014. On September 25, Richardson pinch-ran for Jose Pirela in the bottom of the ninth inning against the

. He scored the winning run on a walk-off single by Derek Jeter in the final

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the orig ...

at bat of Jeter's career. Overall, for the season, he had five hits in 16 at bats (.313 batting average), along with five stolen bases without being caught. After the season, he was outrighted off the Yankees roster.

Texas Rangers

On December 11, 2014, Richardson signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. He underwent back surgery for a bulging spinal disk on March 27, 2015, and was placed on the 60-day disabled list on April 2. During rehab in AAA in July he was hit by a pitch, and suffered a broken foot. For the 2015 season, he had only 37 at bats between the

AZL Rangers The Arizona Complex League Rangers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Texas Rangers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. The team is compose ...

and the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

Pittsburgh Pirates

Richardson signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the 2016 season, and the Pirates invited Richardson to spring training. He had 16 at bats for the Indianapolis Indians and was released on April 25, 2016.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Richardson signed a minor league contract with the

on April 29, 2016 after being released by the Pirates just two days prior. The Dodgers subsequently released him on June 22, 2016 after he hit .222 in 15 games for the AAA

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ba ...

. He retired on March 7, 2017, at 33 years of age. In his 12-season minor league career, while primarily playing center field, Richardson batted .273/.392/.342 in 3,107 at bats while stealing 331 bases and being caught 58 times. In the major leagues, he batted .350/.381/.350 in 20 at bats while stealing six bases without being caught.

Coaching career

In February 2019, Richardson was named as a field coordinator and minor league outfield coordinator for the

. On December 23, 2019, Richardson was named the first-base coach of the San Francisco Giants under new manager

Gabe Kapler Gabriel Stefan Kapler (born July 31, 1975), nicknamed "Kap", is an American former professional baseball outfielder, and current manager of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). Kapler was a 57th-round draft pick (1,487th ove ...

, with the added responsibility of coaching Giants baserunners and outfielders. During the top of the third inning of a game against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

on April 12, 2022, Richardson was ejected for the first time in his MLB career at any capacity after engaging in an argument with Padres third base coach

Mike Shildt Michael Timothy Shildt (born August 9, 1968) is an American baseball coach for the San Diego Padres, where he is the team's interim third base coach. After serving as a scout and manager in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system, he serv ...

. The argument followed after

Steven Duggar Steven Michael Duggar (born November 4, 1993), nicknamed Duggy, is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Texas ...

stole second base with a 9 run lead over the Padres in the second inning. This ejection led to Alyssa Nakken becoming the first woman to appear as an on-field (base) coach in a Major League game by replacing the ejected Richardson.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Antoan 1983 births Living people Arizona League Giants players Arizona League Rangers players Atlanta Braves players Augusta GreenJackets players Bahamian expatriate baseball players in the United States Bahamian sports coaches Bowie Baysox players Bravos de Margarita players Connecticut Defenders players Gwinnett Braves players Indianapolis Indians players Leones de Ponce players Expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from the Bahamas Mississippi Braves players New Britain Rock Cats players New York Yankees players Norfolk Tides players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Orleans Firebirds players Palm Beach State Panthers baseball players Rochester Red Wings players Round Rock Express players San Jose Giants players Schaumburg Flyers players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Southern Maryland Blue Crabs players Sportspeople from Nassau, Bahamas Vanderbilt Commodores baseball players Waikiki Beach Boys players Bahamian expatriate baseball players in Venezuela American Heritage School (Florida) alumni