Simeon Woods Richardson’s Triple-A Reset: What Did He Learn Before Rejoining the Twins?

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Simeon Woods Richardson)

When the Minnesota Twins optioned Simeon Woods Richardson back to Triple-A St. Paul in late May, it wasn’t necessarily a demotion fueled by panic or disappointment. Instead, it was a chance to recalibrate. The young right-hander had flashed promise in his big-league outings earlier this season, but consistency and confidence, two cornerstones for any pitcher, had wavered. In sending him down, the Twins hoped he’d sharpen his approach, regain some swagger, and be better prepared when the big-league club inevitably called on him again.

After three starts with the Saints, Woods Richardson is set to return to the Twins rotation. So, what did we learn from his brief Triple-A stint? There was plenty of good, a fair share of bad, and enough to leave Twins fans wondering which version of Woods Richardson will show up when he takes the mound at Target Field.

May 22: A Dominant Return Against Norfolk
If the goal was to build confidence, Woods Richardson’s first start back in Triple-A couldn’t have gone much better. Facing the Norfolk Tides, a lineup with its fair share of talent, the right-hander looked like he was back to being the pitcher the Twins saw last season. Over six strong innings, he allowed just one earned run on four hits. He struck out eight while walking only one, and most notably, he generated a season-high 19 swinging strikes on just 88 pitches.

For context, those 19 whiffs were more than he had recorded in any MLB start this season, a clear sign that his stuff was playing up in the zone and that hitters were chasing. Nearly 67% of his pitches were strikes (59 of 88), and the fastball-slider mix was particularly crisp. The slider, which has sometimes flattened at the MLB level, had a sharper break and later bite in this outing.

The takeaway? When Woods Richardson is commanding the strike zone and sequencing his pitches effectively, Triple-A hitters can’t touch him. This was a reminder of the ceiling the Twins see when everything clicks.

May 28: Another Strong Outing Against Omaha
Six days later, Woods Richardson took the mound against the Omaha Storm Chasers. The final line wasn’t poor, with six innings, two earned runs, five hits, five strikeouts, and just one walk, but the dominance from his previous start wasn’t there.

His pitch count crept up to 97, with 61 going for strikes. More concerning was the sharp drop in swinging strikes: just 11 in this outing. Opposing hitters were clearly seeing the ball better and laying off his secondary offerings, forcing him into more contact situations.

To his credit, Woods Richardson minimized damage and limited Omaha to two runs, which is something he couldn’t always do in his major-league appearances this year. The ability to grind through a start without his best swing-and-miss stuff is a necessary skill for a young pitcher and a quiet positive to take from this outing. Still, the decrease in whiffs served as a warning. When he’s not sharp, Woods Richardson can become hittable, even if Triple-A hitters didn’t fully capitalize.

June 3: The Long Ball Bites Against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
In his third Triple-A appearance, Woods Richardson faced the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. The results were the worst of his Triple-A stint. In five innings, he allowed five earned runs on six hits, with three of those hits being home runs. While he struck out six and walked two, the hard contact he surrendered, particularly in the air, proved costly. His 17 swings and misses (on 89 pitches) indicated he still had stuff to miss bats, but location and pitch execution fell short.

All three home runs came on pitches that caught too much plate or missed their intended quadrant. Hitters had seven hard-hit balls against him, and six of those seven were line drives or fly balls, a recipe for giving up multiple runs. Scranton’s hitters punished mistakes in a way that mirrored some of the issues Woods Richardson encountered in the majors this season.

The Twins’ development staff will likely view this outing as both a cautionary tale and a learning experience. Woods Richardson’s swing-and-miss ability can still win at any level, but the margin for error remains thin. Pitches poorly located, even with solid velocity or movement, will be crushed by advanced hitters.

Hitting the Reset Button: What Can the Twins Expect Now?
Now, back with the Twins, the question becomes: Which version of Woods Richardson will the big-league club see? The one who carved up Norfolk with confidence and movement? Or the one who left too many hittable pitches over the plate in Scranton? The truth is, both versions matter.

From this three-start stretch, Woods Richardson learned valuable lessons that could serve him well moving forward:

Strike Quality Matters: Even in his strong Norfolk outing, his success hinged on sharp pitch execution and sequencing. When those slipped even slightly (as against Scranton), the results flipped quickly.

Swing and Miss Potential is Real: His 19 and 15 whiff performances bookended the three-start stint, reminding everyone that his fastball-slider-changeup mix can fool hitters. The next step is bringing that level of deception to the majors more consistently.

The Long Ball is a Threat: He can’t afford mistakes in the strike zone. Major-league hitters, like those in Scranton’s lineup, will punish mistakes even harder.

For the Twins, Woods Richardson’s return comes at a crucial time. Injuries and inconsistencies have left the back half of the rotation in flux, and the team needs someone to stabilize those innings. Last year, he saved the Twins rotation in the first half by posting a 3.51 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP in 16 starts, thriving by limiting walks and keeping the ball in the yard. Replicating that formula will be key by pounding the zone with confidence and limiting the inevitable big fly. 

Woods Richardson’s time in Triple-A was likely shorter than the Twins wanted but enlightening. It showcased the good (swinging strikes, strike efficiency) and the bad (home run vulnerability, occasional command lapses). As he returns to the major-league roster, the Twins need him to pitch like the version that dominated Norfolk and be closer to the player he was in the first half of 2024. 

For a team in the thick of the AL Central race, every fifth-day matters. The hope is that this minor-league reset was exactly what Woods Richardson needed to regain his form and that the lessons learned in St. Paul lead to better days ahead in Minneapolis.

What stands out from SWR’s time in St. Paul? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

 

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[AceWrigley]

"Pitches poorly located, even with solid velocity or movement, will be crushed by advanced hitters."

Yep, welcome to the big leagues.

[AceWrigley]

I think we've seen with Chris Paddack that when you can command your pitches with good control, good things happen. Hopefully SWR can give us some solid fives like he did last year.

[thelanges5]

He throws strikes (control) but that is dangerous when you can’t command where they go.  I realize this is similar to the previous two comments, but if SWR doesn’t figure out command, he will continue to get knocked around.

SWR and Festa back to back in the rotation against the Rangers. 

[Patzky]

17 minutes ago, AceWrigley said:

I think we've seen with Chris Paddack that when you can command your pitches with good control, good things happen. Hopefully SWR can give us some solid fives like he did last year.

Maybe a solid six here and there! Hope it's a good showing tonight.  Rangers aren't the best hitting team in the bigs but they're better than Scranton.

[mikelink45]

He has sustained a replacement level performance in the majors and that is all we really need from him.  I do not think he was in AAA long enough to learn what is needed and his last appearance was not a confidence booster.  If he fails again, Morris seems next in line. 

[LambchoP]

I hope SWR can learn to go a bit deeper into games. I really wish they would have found a way to keep Adams in the pen as a long guy. I'm expecting some short starts from Sim and Festa,and having a long man to piggyback and eat multiple innings would be huge. Save our pen which is going to be overworked if these guys can only go 4-5 innings back to back.... A veteran starter at the deadline would be real nice but that's not going to happen. Twins will talk up our depth and play off getting Pablo back as our addition...

[Doc Lenz]

3 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

He has sustained a replacement level performance in the majors and that is all we really need from him.  I do not think he was in AAA long enough to learn what is needed and his last appearance was not a confidence booster.  If he fails again, Morris seems next in line. 

It takes a pitching coach 15 minutes to explain what he needs to do. Issue is for him to go do it.

[CRF]

I don't suppose he learned to add 5-7 mph on his FB, a sweeper with a huge break, and picked up a nasty splitter? Nah...didn't think so. 

[thelanges5]

Unfortunately this article didn’t age well. 

[darin617]

He was only promoted because he's on the 40 man roster. Pretty sure he gave up 6 runs in his last start with St Paul.

[S Bart]

"RESET"...well...he needs another one :)

[Jacksson]

Did he learn to DUCK after he throws a pitch?

[Doctor Wu]

19 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I do not think he was in AAA long enough to learn what is needed and his last appearance was not a confidence booster. 

You are right; the short AAA stint probably wasn't enough time for a proper reset, and as yesterday's woeful start shows, he will still need more tweaks or something to regain both his confidence and effectiveness.