“I think survival mode kicks in at some point. “Trying to figure out how it moves, ‘Where do I need to move my thumb?’ I think with big leaguers, you see those guys develop that arsenal much later in life because they have to. “Grips and pitches are an experiment,” Nasby said. On Tuesday, Richards tossed five scoreless innings versus the New York Mets. The results have been encouraging so far, with him notching a 2.70 ERA in four spring training starts.
Richards emerged from Springfield, Missouri with a curveball and cutter to his repertoire. Training with Nasby and Jacobs, Richards would work on pitch design, face batters and get feedback from catchers on his secondary pitches.
“He’d be in there over Christmas break - and we can’t do anything with during that time - so he’d work out with our guys, pull a handful of pitchers aside and he was a good mentor to some of our younger guys as well.” Taking care of his body and eating right. He’s been a guy who always maximizes his hours, getting extra work in. “I’d show up to work and he’d be down working out. “I think it was a level of comfort for him,” Nasby said. A small private school with an undergrad enrollment of less than 1,600, Richards could also work out in a familiar, yet quiet setting. With full access to the Drury facilities - and no teaching responsibilities - Richards could devote his time solely to training.
