Last June the Cincinnati Reds selected right-handed pitcher Lyon Richardson with their 2nd round pick in the Major League Baseball draft. That was the high point of the 2018 season for the then 18-year-old pitcher. He struggled in his debut, and that may be putting it lightly. He made 11 starts for the teams newest affiliate in Greeneville. Appalachian League hitters touched him up for a 7.14 ERA in 29.0 innings where he allowed 37 hits and walked 16 batters with 24 strikeouts.
This season got out to a much better start, at least from a personal standpoint. Lyon Richardson made his debut last night for the Low-A Dayton Dragons as they took on the Fort Wayne TinCaps. It didn’t seem like things were going to go well at the start. It took Richardson 30 pitches to get through the first inning, and he walked in a run with the bases loaded. He would walk two, and strike out two in that first inning.
Things changed quickly after that. When he came out for the second inning, he made easy work of Fort Wayne. The TinCaps went 1-2-3. In the next inning a ground out was followed by two pop ups for another quick, easy inning. Thanks to a long first inning, the pitch count was adding up, though. The fourth inning would be his final inning, and he made it count by striking out all three batters that he faced.
Lyon Richardson finished the game with this line: 4IP, 2H, 1ER, 2BB, 5K. It would be, at least in my opinion, the best start of his career. He did so by mixing his pitches well, and after the first inning, throwing plenty of strikes. It’s just one game, but it’s good to get the season started on a good note and that’s what happened for Richardson, who after last season’s struggles, has to be feeling good about his performance on Monday night.
Good to see a high draft pick playing well, even if it’s just in baby steps mode. Thanks for the updates as always Doug.