Clayton Richard

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #5 prospect in 2009
  A backup quarterback at Michigan, Richard rarely was considered more than a fringe prospect before 2008. He went from not earning an invitation to big league camp to pitching quality innings in the Division Series, with plenty of highlights along the way. He started in the Futures Game, was offered a spot on the U.S. Olympic team before Chicago called him up and took a shutout into the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium in a September start. At 6-foot-5, Richard is a taller version of Mark Buehrle. He works quickly and throws strikes with three pitches, including an 88-92 mph fastball with natural sink that induces lots of groundballs. He has exceptional command and mound presence. Richard lacks a put-away pitch and had trouble missing bats for much of his big league stint. His changeup is average at best and his slurvy breaking ball lacks consistency. He may be better off working as a reliever who can focus on his sinker. Richard could be consistent enough to have a long career as a starter, if not quite the second coming of Buehrle. The trade of Javier Vazquez gives Richard a clear path to make the White Sox's 2009 rotation, and he also has shown the ability to bounce back quickly out of the bullpen if he's needed there.
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  Ranked Chicago White Sox #25 prospect in 2006
  The White Sox have an affinity for football players. They drafted Joe Borchard (Stanford quarterback) and Josh Fields (Oklahoma State quarterback) in the first round, and lost another first-rounder, Brian West, when he quit baseball to become a defensive end at Louisiana State. They even took a flier on future NFL wide receiver Freddie Mitchell. Chicago found another quarterback when it took Richard with an eighth-round pick last June and signed him for $78,000. He was a coveted high school baseball prospect, but went undrafted because he had a football commitment to Michigan. Richard redshirted in his first year with the Wolverines football program and threw just 15 passes in his second, so he decided to resurrect his baseball career last spring. He was Michigan's co-closer and his durability could give him upside as a reliever, but the Sox want to see how he develops as a starter. His fastball sat in the high 80s when he started as a pro, and parked in the low 90s and touched 94 when he relieved in college. It has natural sinking action that produces groundballs. His curveball and changeup need improvement, but Chicago saw encouraging progress in instructional league. Though Richard has a strong body and is very athletic, scouts always have fretted over his stiff arm action, which may hinder the development of his secondary pitches. He'll begin his first full pro season in low Class A, where he ended 2005.