Simeon Woods Richardson

Richardson had a 5.76 ERA with a troubling 5.2 BB/9 at Double-A New Hampshire before his trade to Minnesota from Toronto in 2021 as part of the Jose Berrios deal. He threw just eight innings at Double-A after the trade as he spent time on the U.S. Olympic team. With a full season in the Minnesota organization, he bounced back to show he's a potential back end major league rotation arm. Woods Richardson made a strong impression at Double-A with a 3.06 ERA and 9.81 K/9 in 16 games and then had a 2.21 ERA with a 9.3 K/9 in seven Triple-A starts. He got one late-season start in the majors as a result (3 ER in 5 IP). Woods Richardson doesn't have great velocity (low-to-mid 90s fastball) but has three quality off-speed pitches and good control (3.1 BB/9 across all three levels last season). He'll compete for a rotation spot this spring, but may spend much of the season at Triple-A before getting another shot.

Woods Richardson turned 20 in September, yet he could debut in the majors in 2021 even after the pandemic prevented him from having a normal age-19 season. Advanced beyond his years, Woods Richardson projects to have plus command/control and already throws four pitches, three of which are at least above-average offerings. The top returning piece from the Mets in the 2019 deadline deal that sent Marcus Stroman to New York, Woods Richardson spent the summer at the alternate training site, where he refined his stuff, including cementing his changeup as a future plus pitch. His low-to-mid-90s fastball has riding life that allows it to play as a plus pitch up in the zone. It is unclear how his time will be split this season between Double-A, Triple-A and the majors, but if he stays healthy and continues to pound the zone, Woods Richardson will be on the fast track to the show.

Toronto received Anthony Kay and Woods Richardson from the Mets for a year and two months of Marcus Stroman, with Kay representing the big-league-ready piece and Woods Richardson representing the high-upside half of the return. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound righty has never had a FIP higher than 2.53 or a K-BB% below 20%. That's elite production for a high-octane 19-year-old who has already reached High-A. His low-to-mid-90s fastball has good riding life up in the zone and works as a plus pitch, while his power curveball and changeup have a chance to be at least above-average offerings. He is a strike thrower to a fault at times, which is part of the reason why his 4.25 ERA at Low-A was so much higher than his FIP. His competitiveness and advanced pitchability have allowed him to avoid significant struggles thus far. Woods Richardson is a good bet to be at least a No. 3 starter if he can stay healthy.