Richardson learns from Gomez

The once and future beat writer with a nice story on D'Vontrey Richardson learning from Carlos Gomez.

[Gomez] played five innings of pain-free baseball. And he took advantage of some teachable moments by sharing some tips with his Rattlers counterpart.

"When I played in rookie (ball) in Port St. Lucie (Fla.), Cliff Floyd, Jose Reyes and Mike Cameron (of the Mets), they teach me," Gomez recalled of his own minor league experiences working with major leaguers during rehab stints. "I learned a lot, and that's why when you're in rehab in the minor leagues, you have to teach how the big leagues play and teach how to prepare yourself for the game."

...

Gomez made it his job to get into the ear of Rattlers centerfielder D'Vontrey Richardson, the Brewers' fifth-round draft choice in 2009 and rated by Baseball America as the club's 18th-best minor league prospect and the best athlete in the system.

Richardson, the starter in left field on Wednesday, said Gomez told him to "clear your mind and see the ball, hit the ball" while at the plate and "slow down and learn how to control myself" as a way to cut down on his sometimes wild throws in the field.

He also took note of how Gomez reacted to a third-inning single up the middle with a speedy runner on second and another runner on first.

Rather than trying to nab the runner with a throw to the plate, Gomez conceded the run and threw to the cutoff to keep the two Peoria runners at first and second.

"I think I would have come in full speed and tried to throw it (to the plate)," admitted the 21-year-old Richardson, who has six outfield assists and is hitting .229 with two homers and 15 RBI in his first pro season. "But when he didn't throw it, I had to look and see who the runner was. You've just got to know who the runner is, and he knew where to go with it."

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