WOODS RICHARDSON Simeon

General
MLB DRAFT
He selected by the New York Mets in the second round, 48th overall pick, of the 2018 MLB Draft, out of Kempner High School in Sugar Land, TX. He went into the night not expecting to be drafted by a major league team, as he had committed to studying at the University of Texas at Austin. "I was caught completely off-guard. It went from just hanging out, watching some of my boys get drafted, to all of a sudden it's one of the best days of my life." (sportsnet.ca, 01 Jan 2021)

CLUB JOURNEY
After being drafted by the New York Mets in 2018, he made several appearances for the Mets' Rookie league affiliate teams, the Gulf Coast League Mets and Kingsport Mets, that year. In 2019 he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays and played for their Low-A affiliate the Dunedin Blue Jays. In 2021 he played for the Double-A level New Hampshire Fisher Cats. (milb.com, 10 Jun 2021; thestar.com, 15 May 2021; sportsnet.ca, 01 Jan 2021)

CONFIDENCE
In 2021 he said he hopes to mature into a championship-winning player. "I'm a teenager but I feel like I'm 35 - that's what it feels like. I've shown that I can compete with the best of them no matter what my age is. My stuff is my stuff. I pound the strike zone. I make good-quality pitches. The team's defence always plays better behind me because I'm high tempo. So, when I'm on the mound doing what I'm blessed to do, our defence is spotless, and if we've got the sticks going - it's going to be a pretty good day. Of course I want to pitch in the big leagues, be a horse, be a guy that can get us to the playoffs, win us a championship. But I know to get there I have to be patient, slow things down, hit my spots. Make sure I have endurance through the whole season. Make sure everything is where I need it to be. It's just hard for me to slow down sometimes. Because, man, I can't wait." (milb.com, 10 Jun 2021; thestar.com, 15 May 2021; sportsnet.ca, 01 Jan 2021)