Nelly vs. A.K. – Trading Richardson and his Legacy with Florida
Nelly vs. A.K. (provided to you from the Featherheads.com official website)
Trading Richardson and his Legacy with Florida
December 18, 2009
Nell y
Since this is my webpage, I get to start things off. First let's talk about his legacy in Florida. I normally do not sugarcoat things and always spit the truth, but I admit I held back on Richardson while he was a member of the Featherheads. Now that he has been traded, let me say that this guy is a total underachiever! How many seasons has he hit over .300? 0 times! How many times has he hit the century RBI mark? Once! And the only time he did it was with 103 RBIs… barely over 100! You want more numbers? I'll give you more numbers!
How many championships does Richardson have? 0. How many times has Florida won a division with Richardson? Zilch. How many times has Richardson led Florida to the playoffs? Nada. How many
times has Florida finished above .500 with him? Nil. This guy is such a fake. He's like what you call fool's gold. He's the cheap imitation Louis Vuitton that you see wannabe Hollywood girls be rocking these days! Just like a fake purse, Richardson looks good from afar. You got PEBA fans up in Manchester, Tempe and Bakersfield voting for him to All-Star Games after All-Star Games. Astute people in the media (like myself) who scrutinize Richardson up close everyday level know that he is vastly overrated. He is not even the best second baseman in the game. Wait, let me rephrase that. He is not even the best second baseman on his own team! You heard me right! The best second baseman on his team is Steve McDonald!
I'm glad he is gone. He is the reason why Florida has never amounted to anything in 3 years. Even though he was the team captain in Florida, teammates would secretly tell you he was not the leader of the team. People always praised him for working hard and coming on game day early. He always put on extra batting and fielding practices. That was not really his way of leading by example. That was just him caring about himself and trying to make the back of his baseball card look good just so he can get his next big payday.
So that is why I am glad he is gone. It is time for a new face of the franchise. It is time for someone to step up and lead Florida. Finally Florida will not lean on Richardson as that beacon. It is time for everyone in the franchise to carry their own weight and not just rely on some guy who is used to sitting at home come October.
So what is his legacy with Florida? I will always remember him as the guy that never won anything. He reminds me of another Florida "great". He is to the Florida Featherheads as Dan Marino was to the Miami Dolphins! Dan Marino will always be remembered as the guy who never won the big game and the guy who appeared in Ace Ventura. Let's hope Richardson does not follow Marino's footsteps and sticks to baseball.
Okay, as much as I slammed Richardson, I'm gonna sound like a hypocrite but I absolutely hate the trade with Aurora. Yeah, I may knock Richardson's leadership (or lack there of) and his empty, hollow stats, but the trade with Aurora was ridiculous. Florida could have gotten a lot more than a declining leadoff hitter, a minor league infielder who can't hit and a draft pick that will be used on a scrub or some kid who end up playing Rock Band.
If you were watching Naoaki Kichida in 2009, you would have noticed a drastic decline in performance this season. Hitting .318, he dropped 40 points on his batting average to hit .267 in 2009. His slugging percentage took a nosedive from .430 to .378. On top of that, he is in the last year of his contract. He makes $7.3 million dollars this year, so you can certainly expect the price tag come free agency will be higher than that. Are you willing to pay that kind of money for a dink and dunk hitter?!
Aurora has one of the best farm systems in PEBA, and all you can get in this trade is some guy named Ricardo Gabriel? This guy is not even a legitimate prospect! From talking to my scout buddies, they tell me that he will not be able to hit at the big league level. He has a big league glove but not a big league bat. Some baseball purists might be okay with that. Offense is not as important for positions like shortstop and catcher, right? To that, I say, “Bullcrap!” I have other choice words but I know we have young readers. Man, we need to stop living baseball in the 1800s or even 1960s. These days, baseball is changing. Every position is expected to hit. If you don't hit then you are a liability. Just look at guy like Jeff Cline, Raúl García, Augusto Quiñones, Héctor Castillo and George Riley.
If that is not insulting enough, Florida also receives an 8th round pick. Whoopdeedoo. Kids, let me give you a history lesson. For those who don't know, here is what Florida has done with the 8th round pick for the last 3 years. In 2007, they drafted Sterling Fuller. In 2008, it was Pablo Salmarán. In 2009, Ricardo Gómez was drafted. Besides all being 8th round selections, the other common denominator is that they are all worth about an item on McDonald's dollar value menu.
You know what Kevin Lewis is telling all the other 23 GMs out there? This is what he is saying:
"Hey everybody! Look at me. I like to bend over and get violated by everyone."
Absolutely pathetic. Lewis could have gotten a lot more if he was willing to wait it out. I'm not advocating you to rob a bank, but if you were a bank robber and you were surrounded by the SWAT team outside… you just do not go outside and surrender. You either wait it out or go out with guns blazing! That's what Kevin Lewis should have done. He should have waited it out until the trading deadline draws near and hold some team ransom. You know some other GM would do it, too. There's gotta be a GM out there who wants to announce to his fans that he did it. That he delivered Mark Richardson to their hometown. Some GM is out there licking his chops hoping to see Richardson suit in September for a playoff push. The longer you wait, the more desperate they get!
A.K.
Alright, baby, you heard my colleague's response and now you will hear my side… the correct side. Richardson's legacy with Florida is that he will be known as one of Florida's Greats. Not only is he Florida's best player in their short history but he is one of the PEBA's top talent. Ignore the comments by Nelly, folks. Mark "Ice Cold" Richardson is a flat out stud, baby! No offense to Steve McDonald but Mark Richardson is the best second baseman in this league. Not only can Richardson hit but he can run and play defense, too. The man has three consecutive All-Leather Awards, baby!
Just like Serenity mentioned in her blog, Richardson is in effect "Mr. Florida". He is synonymous with Florida baseball. When you talk about the Featherheads, the first person you mention is Mark Richardson. Him and Featherheads baseball are like peanut butter and jelly, baby! Fans adore him like little girls at a Hannah Montana concert. Even though Mark Richardson never led Florida to the playoffs, Mark Richardson was the player who made Florida relevant. Without him, the Featherheads would not even be close to playing .500 ball. Trust me, baby, he is not the reason why Florida has never reached the playoffs. He is a winner in my book. The guy plays hard for nine innings. Richardson will always be a Florida Featherhead to me no matter where he goes. Just look at Serenity's blog for the comparison pictures. He does not look right in any other uniform! He will always be number 7 of the Florida Featherheads, baby! Poor guy even shaved his mustache in Aurora! And where is the smile, baby?!
As for this trade with Aurora, from a fan point of view it's not so hot. No matter who or what you get back in a trade, you can never justify to the fans how you let one of the greatest PEBA talents go regardless if he is injured or not. From a realistic and business point of view, I love this trade, baby! You can break down this trade for Florida in so many ways. If you look purely at this upcoming season, Kichida provides a solid stopgap for the loss of Richardson. Even before the trade, Florida already could not count on Richardson for this season due to injury. So with this trade you already get an upgrade, baby! A healthy Kichida is more valuable than an injured Richardson in 2010. Richardson brought three things to table every time you penciled his name in the lineup. He brought defense, base running and of course instant offense. I believe Kichida can do the same thing but in slightly different ways. Defensively, Richardson was solid as a rock at second base. He had terrific range and steady hands. Kichida is no slouch defensively himself. While Richardson was entrenched at second base, Kichida is expected to play all over the diamond. Kichida's versatility in the infield will make him a valuable asset for Florida.
If we are going to talk about speed, then Kichida can run circles all day over Richardson, baby! Not only is Kichida fast but he has smart instincts on the base paths. He's the type of guy that would go from first to third on a single to right field. So if you give an edge to Richardson on defense, Kichida clearly has the edge with his legs.
Offensively, the two of them are totally different. It's like comparing a hot blonde to a sexy brunette. They are totally different yet you'll be happy to have either of them, baby! Same thing goes for Richardson and Kichida. Richardson is your prototypical middle of the order slugger. He bangs the 3-run homers and drives in runs. Well guess what, baby? You know who sets the tables for sluggers like Richardson? Leadoff guys like Kichida, baby! For years, Florida has searched for their leadoff hitter. Guys like Miguel Soto and Dan Jamison filled in admirably, but Kichida is the real deal. He is the epitome of a leadoff hitter. He puts pressure on the defense with his lightning-quick speed. He works the pitchers and is not afraid of the base on balls.
The name of the game is to score more runs than your opponent. There are two ways a player contributes in scoring ones. Guys like Richardson drive in runs while players like Kichida score runs themselves. Interestingly enough, Richardson's career average runs created per 27 outs (RC/27) is 5.28. For those who are not familiar the stat, it estimates the amount of runs a player contributes to his team per 27 outs. Can you guess what is Kichida's runs created per 27 outs? Bing badda boom, baby…. it's 5.48! Granted, Richardson's number is skewed by an ugly 3.81 RC/27 in 2007. To Richardson's credit, he has averaged higher than 6 runs for the last 2 years with a career high of 6.21 in 2008. If you want to talk about career highs, Kichida delivered a 6.50 RC/27 in 2008. Playing primary first base for Aurora in 2009, Kichida's production is often overlooked when you compare him to the typical slugging power first basemen out there. But if you were to compare him to middle infielders, the story changes a bit. Here is the top 5 RC/27 at second base and shortstop last year in both leagues combined.
Shortstop
1. George Riley – 7.42
2. Héctor Castillo – 6.93
3. Augusto Quiñones – 6.14
4. Miguel Cortéz – 5.79
5. Leonard Martin – 5.04
Second Base
1. Steve McDonald – 7.17
2. Tom Kirkland – 6.38
3. Brett Hurst – 6.06
4. Mark Richardson – 6.03
5. Powell Clark – 5.81
So in 2009, Kichida stacked up with a 5.54 RC/27. His career high is 6.50. So as you can see, baby, his numbers are quite respectable. So I say that is not a bad trade considering the lack of leverage Florida had with an injured Mark Richardson.
Aside from being a stopgap in 2010, Kichida provides Florida with plenty of options in the immediate future. The Featherheads can wish to extend his contract or they can simply let him walk after the season to free up money to use in the free agency market. Speaking of freeing up money, this trade also gave Florida an extra $4 million dollars to work with. Richardson was slated to make roughly $11 million dollars while Kichida is around $7 million. There's a lot you can do with $4 million dollars, baby! You can get a good utility player or a solid reliever. You can invest it in scouting or save it for the "hush hush" ballpark construction that the organization has been relatively quiet about. This trade is made of win, baby!
