Oakland Ballers Bring Back Right-Hander, Richardson

The Oakland Ballers have been rolling out their roster for the 2025 season in recent weeks, re-signing righty Connor Sullivan, catcher Tyler Lozano, and outfielder Tyler Best. They have even brought in Bay Area sports legend Casey Pratt to serve as the team's Vice President of Communications and Fan Entertainment. The Ballers are making moves.
Their most recent announcement has been bringing back right-hander Connor Richardson into the fold. For those keeping score at home, that is now two Tylers on the B's, as well as two Connors. Perhaps they'll add a new name to the mix with the next signing? Or maybe the analytics are super high on guys named Tyler or Connor. It should be noted (again) that Casey is not going to be playing in the field, which the team has jokingly emphasized since the announcement.
As for Richardson, he came to The Town in a trade with the Lake Erie Crushers of the Frontier League before last year's inaugural season and went a perfect 6-0 in 32 appearances out of the bullpen for the Ballers.
“Chewy”, as he is affectionately known by his teammates and fans, was named to the Pioneer League
All-Star 1st Team at midseason, and finished the year with a 4.10 ERA, 53 K, and 23 walks in 41 2/3
innings.
Ballers manager Aaron Miles said of bringing back Richardson: "We turned to Chewy a lot last year in some really tight spots and he’d come through for us. If the situation called for a double play or maybe a strikeout, he was a guy we had a lot of confidence in to get what we needed and get out of a jam.
"I think that’s evident when you look at his stats--when you go 6-0 out of the bullpen then you are pitching in a lot of close games and giving your team a chance to win.”
The North Dakota native will begin his third professional season in 2025. He previously pitched with
three pro teams in 2023 (Fargo-Moorhead, Ottawa, and Lake Erie) before arriving in Oakland last
season. His college career spanned five years as a member of the Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles.
The Oakland Ballers season begins on May 20 at home against the Ogden Raptors. In fact, the Ballers will be home for the first two series of the season, so they will be at Raimondi Park from May 20-June 1, with Monday, May 26 as the only off-day.
The team is currently offering a "Ballers Love Bundle" for Valentine's Day, which includes two flex tickets, two special t-shirts, and two Valentine's Day cards. The first 50 people to buy the pack will also get a four-pack of Almanac Ballers Love Hazy IPA.
The Ballers will continue to announce roster additions in the coming weeks as they build up for the 2025 campaign. The initial group of announcements is expected to be the players that will be re-signing, followed by the new additions to the roster.