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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Early in spring training, the classroom made its way out onto the diamond.
Ninety feet down the line on the infield dirt, Mets first base coach Antoan Richardson was stationed in front of a flat-screen TV. A pair of parallel chalk lines marked a spot a few feet from the bag. On the monitor, affixed to a stand with four wheels and an extension chord running back toward the dugout, various different pitchers' deliveries and pickoff moves rolled on a playlist.
"Just trying to give them a realistic look at what's gonna happen in the game. I could go out there on the mound, but I'm unathletic, I'm old, I'm not as good as these guys," Richardson joked, "so I figure try to get it on the TV and replicate it as best as you can."
In an era where the pitch clock and limit on pickoff attempts has sent stolen base attempts skyward across Major League Baseball, Richardson's role as the coordinator of the team's run game has taken on added importance. The drill focused on lead length and gaining a good jump toward second base.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Richardson's attention to detail and rigorous scouting allow him to take the full responsibility.
"When (players) get pretty much the green light from him, they feel pretty good," Mendoza said. "I feel pretty good about it. He’s got that freedom. We trust him because not only is he prepared but he’s got good instincts as well. He’s got a good feel for the game."
The Mets won't be setting any stolen base records during the 2025 season.
Among the Mets' projected members of the Opening Day roster, only Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte and Jose Siri posted positive baserunning value in 2024. Lindor, Nimmo, Siri, Tyrone Taylor and Luisangel Acuña are the only contributors in the top half of the league in sprint speed.
When Juan Soto joined the team in Port St. Lucie, Florida, in February, one of the areas he pinpointed for improvement was baserunning.
That puts Richardson, who stole 395 bases of his own across 12 seasons in all levels, in an interesting spot as he prepares to squeeze all of the possible baserunning potential out of this year's unit. It boils down to efficiency and being opportunistic to not take scoring opportunities away from some of the team's sluggers.
"We know where we are from a speed standpoint, and we know where we fit into the league in those types of things. For us, the mentality is embrace that," Richardson said. "What opportunities are there going to be for us. I think like every team, we're going to look for every single opportunity, every game to exploit 90 feet. For us, it's going to be about being smart."
The Mets finished 16th in MLB last season with 106 stolen bases, but their 82.8 percent success rate — they were caught 22 times — was fifth-best in the major leagues.
Richardson is doing his best to give his team the edge on the bases.
In 2024, Francisco Lindor had the fourth-largest average lead distance gained on stolen base attempts at 13 feet. That jump advantage trailed only the Yankees' Anthony Volpe, Angels' Zach Neto and Royals' Maikel Garcia.
Lindor ended up leading the Mets with 29 stolen bases. While the team loses Harrison Bader, who had the second most with 17 swipes, they add Jose Siri, who was in the top 1 percent of MLB in sprint speed, according to Statcast.
"Thank God, I have that speed that I have," Siri said through Mets interpreter Alan Suriel. "I think it's going to be a really important factor for me to steal bases this year for this team."
If the Mets can take Richardson's practice onto the field, they will be looking to build on an offense that finished with the seventh-most runs in MLB last season.
"You want to hit with runners in scoring position," said Taylor, who stole 11 bases last season, "so you get (Francisco) up there or Soto up there, Pete, shoot, our whole lineup, anybody up there with a guy on second and third base just from stealing a bag, I think it's important and it creates runs."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Antoan Richardson preaching opportunistic run game
Continue reading...
Ninety feet down the line on the infield dirt, Mets first base coach Antoan Richardson was stationed in front of a flat-screen TV. A pair of parallel chalk lines marked a spot a few feet from the bag. On the monitor, affixed to a stand with four wheels and an extension chord running back toward the dugout, various different pitchers' deliveries and pickoff moves rolled on a playlist.
"Just trying to give them a realistic look at what's gonna happen in the game. I could go out there on the mound, but I'm unathletic, I'm old, I'm not as good as these guys," Richardson joked, "so I figure try to get it on the TV and replicate it as best as you can."
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In an era where the pitch clock and limit on pickoff attempts has sent stolen base attempts skyward across Major League Baseball, Richardson's role as the coordinator of the team's run game has taken on added importance. The drill focused on lead length and gaining a good jump toward second base.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Richardson's attention to detail and rigorous scouting allow him to take the full responsibility.
"When (players) get pretty much the green light from him, they feel pretty good," Mendoza said. "I feel pretty good about it. He’s got that freedom. We trust him because not only is he prepared but he’s got good instincts as well. He’s got a good feel for the game."
Antoan Richardson preaches opportunistic run game
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The Mets won't be setting any stolen base records during the 2025 season.
Among the Mets' projected members of the Opening Day roster, only Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte and Jose Siri posted positive baserunning value in 2024. Lindor, Nimmo, Siri, Tyrone Taylor and Luisangel Acuña are the only contributors in the top half of the league in sprint speed.
When Juan Soto joined the team in Port St. Lucie, Florida, in February, one of the areas he pinpointed for improvement was baserunning.
That puts Richardson, who stole 395 bases of his own across 12 seasons in all levels, in an interesting spot as he prepares to squeeze all of the possible baserunning potential out of this year's unit. It boils down to efficiency and being opportunistic to not take scoring opportunities away from some of the team's sluggers.
"We know where we are from a speed standpoint, and we know where we fit into the league in those types of things. For us, the mentality is embrace that," Richardson said. "What opportunities are there going to be for us. I think like every team, we're going to look for every single opportunity, every game to exploit 90 feet. For us, it's going to be about being smart."
The Mets finished 16th in MLB last season with 106 stolen bases, but their 82.8 percent success rate — they were caught 22 times — was fifth-best in the major leagues.
Francisco Lindor, Jose Siri bring speed, efficiency
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Richardson is doing his best to give his team the edge on the bases.
In 2024, Francisco Lindor had the fourth-largest average lead distance gained on stolen base attempts at 13 feet. That jump advantage trailed only the Yankees' Anthony Volpe, Angels' Zach Neto and Royals' Maikel Garcia.
Lindor ended up leading the Mets with 29 stolen bases. While the team loses Harrison Bader, who had the second most with 17 swipes, they add Jose Siri, who was in the top 1 percent of MLB in sprint speed, according to Statcast.
"Thank God, I have that speed that I have," Siri said through Mets interpreter Alan Suriel. "I think it's going to be a really important factor for me to steal bases this year for this team."
If the Mets can take Richardson's practice onto the field, they will be looking to build on an offense that finished with the seventh-most runs in MLB last season.
"You want to hit with runners in scoring position," said Taylor, who stole 11 bases last season, "so you get (Francisco) up there or Soto up there, Pete, shoot, our whole lineup, anybody up there with a guy on second and third base just from stealing a bag, I think it's important and it creates runs."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Antoan Richardson preaching opportunistic run game
Continue reading...
