[EMSoccerCoach]

November 18, 2017

Louisville ships Richards to Las Vegas

It's being reported in the Louisville press that the Racers have traded 30-year-old right fielder Gene Richards to the Las Vegas Bosses for 26-year-old reliever Randy Jones.

Lifetime Richards is hitting .307 with 1057 hits, 198 doubles, 30 triples and 29 home runs. He has scored 525 runs and driven in 375.

So far in his career, Jones has registered no saves and fashioned a 7-7 won-lost mark. In 19 games he has fanned 33 batters in 116.2 innings and logged a 4.09 ERA.

The deal is a surprising one from Louisville's standpoint. While the new champions have a surplus of outfielders (Joe Jackson, Richie Ashburn, Jerry Mumphrey, Jim Rice), the belief is that Richards could have netted more than a well-regarded but hardly stalwart reliever.

Jones could fight for a rotation spot while Mickey Lolich recovers from shoulder surgery for the first month to 6 weeks of the season. But Richards, the 2016 Northern League batting champion, may have been sold low here.

Gene Richards