Talk about a dramatic final impression.D'Vontrey Richardson, a part-time player on the Florida State baseball and football teams, spent Monday working out for two scouts with the Milwaukee Brewers. Richardson clocked a 6.2 60-yard dash on a local high track and then displayed impressive pop with a wooden bat during batting practice at a nearby community college.
That combination, mixed with Richardson's athleticism and potential, was enough to catapult Richardson into the fifth round of Wednesday's major league amateur draft, where he was selected by the Brewers with the 166th selection overall.
"I am really, really excited and I can't wait to get to work," Richardson, a native of Leesburg, Ga., told FanHouse Wednesday. "It kind of caught me off guard because I really didn't get to play much [this season], and I didn't have the year that I wanted to. This is a great, unbelievable feeling."
Richardson's early selection can be considered a major surprise, at least on paper, where he started just 22 games and hit .304 for the Seminoles (45-18) this season. FSU was swept at home in two games by Arkansas in NCAA Super Regional play over the weekend, and Richardson, a corner outfielder and right-handed batter, didn't appear in either game.
Richardson went 2-for-3 with three RBI in the Seminoles' 37-6 victory over Ohio State to win the Tallahassee, Fla., regional two weekends ago. Noted for his strong right throwing arm but erratic glove, Richardson made his last start against Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament May 24. He appeared in 44 games overall.
"I would say it has been a great learning experience at FSU," said Richardson, the first Seminole selected in this year's draft. "I learned a lot from the coaches, they taught me different things that are going to help me and I am grateful."
Richardson didn't play baseball at FSU in 2008 in order to concentrate on his academics. In his 2007 freshman season, Richardson hit .351 in 51 games, including 35 starts. Despite limited playing time, there was no denying Richardson's skills. FSU coach Mike Martin has called Richardson, a 35th-round selection by Washington three years ago as a prep senior, a "legit five-tool guy" with the sky's-the-limit future.
Richardson, who will turn 21 next month, arrived at FSU from Lee County High School with impressive credentials as a football quarterback and a baseball outfielder.
Richardson was a five-star prospect and an All-American selection as a prep senior by Scout.com and was a four-star prospect and the No. 1 prep athlete in the state of Georgia by Rivals.com. Richardson threw for over 2,200 yards and 27 touchdowns while rushing for 1,050 yards and 17 scores his senior season.
In baseball, Richardson was ranked as the No. 82 prep player in the nation, according to Baseball America. He was also a prep teammate with FSU All-American catcher and national player of the year Buster Posey, a first-round selection of San Francisco in 2008.
Recruited in football, Richardson never came close to fulfilling his promise or matching his prep success at FSU.
Last football season, Richardson appeared in 10 games behind starter Christian Ponder, throwing for 315 yards and rushing for 254 yards. He accounted for six touchdowns and set the record for the longest scoring run by an FSU quarterback when he rushed 55 yards for a touchdown versus Chattanooga.
As his playing time diminished, Richardson also spent time in practice at wide receiver. Although Richardson didn't participate in spring drills this year, he had already decided to switch from quarterback to safety this season.
"If he can learn the position, he's got some skills you don't teach. You don't teach speed. You don't teach ball skills," FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews told The St. Petersburg Times prior to spring football drills. Andrews, who played baseball and football at Alabama, was well aware of Richardson's baseball draft prospects, too.
"If somebody offered you a million dollars to change jobs, would you change?" Andrews said. "He says he wants to come back and play football, but you know ..."
Richardson, the oldest of seven children in his family, is considered an exceptional worker who is unfazed by challenges. He also doesn't regret selecting FSU over Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma.
"It was just the way the cards were dealt," said Richardson, who took a redshirt season in football as a freshman and has two years of eligibility remaining in both football and baseball. "I guess [the Brewers] selected me on my athleticism and potential. I enjoyed playing both sports at FSU -- I loved football during football season and baseball during baseball season.
"Now I get to be a full-time baseball player."
