Clayton Richard
From BR Bullpen
Clayton Colby Richard
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 5", Weight 225 lb.
- School University of Michigan
- High School McCutcheon High School
- Debut July 23, 2008
- Born September 12, 1983 in Lafayette, IN USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Clayton Richard was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the eighth round of the 2005 amateur draft. He was a highly touted high school quarterback and played both football and baseball at the University of Michigan. In 2003, Rivals.com rated Richard as the best high school football prospect in the state of Indiana, and the fourth best pro-style quarterback in the country. After failing to win the starting QB job with the Wolverines, the left-hander dedicated himself to a professional baseball career. He won 9 games during his first two seasons in the White Sox organization.
The Wolverines opted to redshirt Richard during his freshman season at Michigan. He battled for the starting quarterback position during his second season, but lost to Chad Henne. He completed eight passes in fifteen attempts off the bench in 2004. The following spring, Richard appeared in 21 games for Michigan's baseball team, he was 0-1, with 5 saves and a 2.43 ERA. He signed with the White Sox in 2005.
Richard made a successful transition to professional baseball as his ERA was 2.85 in 10 games with the 2005 Great Falls White Sox. His strikeout totals have been rather low, but he has induced high groundball rates and kept hitters in the park--allowing just five home runs in his first 35 games. Richard went 8-12 with a 3.63 ERA with Winston-Salem in 2007.
