The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

The promotion to the Triple-A International League has been an early struggle for Antoan Richardson as he attempts to return to the major leagues.

Since being called up to the Norfolk Tides after spending much of the year with the Bowie Baysox, both of the Baltimore Orioles franchise, Richardson is hitting .105 with one stolen base.

In six games, he has just two hits in 19 at bats, with an on base percentage of .227 and a slugging percentage of .105.

Earlier in the year, in 22 games with the Baysox, Richardson hit .313 with 12 runs, three RBI and five stolen bases.

Richardson, 28, became a free agent after being outrighted off the Braves' 40-man roster following the end of the regular season.

The speedy outfielder made his major league debut on September 4 last year in a 4-3 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Pinch-hitting for starting pitcher Randall Delgado, he singled to center field on the first pitch he saw in the fifth inning.

He spent the majority of the season with Double-A Mississippi, batting .283 with one home run, 21 RBI and 17 stolen bases.

Originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 27th round of the 2001 amateur draft, Richardson decided to delay the MLB system and stayed at American Heritage School in Delray Beach, Florida, until he was drafted for the third time, this time by the San Francisco Giants in the 35th round in 2005.

He went on to play in the pipelines with both the Giants and the Atlanta Braves until the Braves called him up to the MBL, where he made his debut in September.

In nine games with the Braves, Richardson went 2-for-4 with a stolen base, scoring two runs.

After being released out of his free agency agreement on November 2 last year, Richardson signed with the Orioles as a free agent on December 16 when he started his pro journey all over again.

In his time with the Giants, he stole 40 bases in the short-season Arizona League in his debut, 66 more at Class A Augusta in 2006 and 43 at Advanced A San Jose in 2007. He stole 33 bases with Double-A Connecticut in 2009 but was released that summer and played independent league baseball for a while before Atlanta came calling in the spring of 2010.