A place to follow the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the Midwest League, Minor League baseball, Major League Baseball, and everything in between in that order.
For the week, Richardson went 10-for-20 (.500) with three doubles, two triples, and a home run. He also drew eight walks in six games during the week to run his on base percentage to .643. The six extra-base hits in the week gave Richardson a slugging percentage of 1.000.
Q: This is your first pro season at any level. How do you think things are going so far?A: I don't think I'm doing that well offensively. But defensively, I'm getting better with my reads and just thinking ahead in the outfield and learning more what to do in certain situations. On the bases, I'm getting a little better. I got picked off a couple of times early, but I'm getting a little comfortable, so hopefully, I can get a lot better at base stealing. That will come with reps. Offensively, I'm trying to put too much pressure on myself. But with games, hopefully, I'll just calm down a little bit. So far, I think I'm just average.
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[Gomez] played five innings of pain-free baseball. And he took advantage of some teachable moments by sharing some tips with his Rattlers counterpart.Go read it all.
"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."
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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."
Q: Let's get this out of the way. Is Maverick your real name? And if so, any connection to the movie "Top Gun?"Much, much more over there at the link.
A: Yeah. My parents just liked the name from the movie, I guess. They're not really big "Top Gun" fans. They just saw the name, liked it and stuck with it.
Q: Have your friends ever razzed you with quotes from the movie?
A: (Smiling) Yeah, "Where's Goose at?" Stuff like that. I hear that a lot.
“I know (Brewers Director of Amateur Scouting) Bruce Seid and the people in the draft decided we need to be more athletic,” said Jeff Isom, who manages the Brewers Class A team. “Well, what a great guy to go get. That’s kind of the prototypical player if you’re talking about athleticism. An unbelievable build, strong kid, he works hard in the weight room.”Read it all.
“We’ve got some things to work on, no question, but there’s a lot of upside to him.”
Richardson successfully juggled his collegiate career on the gridiron and the diamond. With the blessing of his football coach Bobby Bowden, D’Vontrey skipped football offseason workouts and spring practice to keep sharp at his other athletic gift.
