Star Wars Night is just for one game for the Florence Y’alls, but the force has been strong with Zade Richardson for four years running.
After spending four years with two Major League Baseball affiliates, the 2019 New Richmond graduate is having his best season as a pro with the nearby Florence Y’alls in Independent Baseball.
“It’s literally home. I’m 25, 30 minutes away from home, and the fans, coaches and front office treat me like I am at home as well,” Richardson said. “I have really found a place where I can anchor down and not only develop … but to be here and be here with purpose.
“I want to help get these guys here to the next level. I don’t think of myself as, ‘Hey, how can I get myself to the next level?’ I’m more focused on getting these guys prepared and ready.”
A lot of that stems from the usual development and maturity as an indivdual, but Richardson’s ability to let go of those past struggles — often echoed throughout the Star Wars universe to avoid falling to the dark side — has turned Richardson from a padawan to a Jedi Knight and maybe someday, a Jedi Master as he looks to pass his experiences to the next generation of ball players, while waiting for his own opportunities to open.
“I came from nothing. I’m from out of the middle of nowhere near New Richmond. I’m a country kid. It’s taken a humble heart and a lot of heart to get where I am at,” Richardson said. “I think we need to focus on watching a game; it’s as simple as that. And staying away from people who are not going to feed into your dream. At the end of the day, if the Lord put it on your heart and gave you a vision, it’s something he wants you to do, but you’re gonna have to separate yourself from the people who are probably not going to do that.
“If you control the controllables within that, the doors will open accordingly. These kids will see growth, and they’ll be grateful for some of the things that they do.”
Florence Y’all’s Zade Richardson shares a laugh with a couple of teammates during a Frontier League game July 17, 2026, against the Mississippi Mud Monsters at Thomas More Stadium in Florence, Kentucky.
Jake Dowling/The Clermont Sun
MISIDENTIFIED IDENTITY
The St. Louis Cardinals picked Richardson in the 22nd round, 665th overall, in the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft. Two years later, he moved up to Single-A in Peoria, Illinois, despite a low average and high strikeout rate. His time with the Cardinals ended the following season, but he quickly signed with the Atlanta Braves nine days later and was assigned to Single-A Rome.
Injuries limited him to just four plate appearances with the Braves and a brief two-week stay with Double-A Mississippi before he was placed on the 60-day injured list to end the season. In November 2022, he chose to become a free agent.
“I’m at a place right now where I can actually be myself,” Richardson said. “I feel like a lot of time at an affiliate, if you’re not a guy that they give a whole lot of big money to, they need to control every aspect of your career and life, and I think that’s something I probably struggled with.
“At the back end, I started to become my own player, and I think a lot of times, those organizations took it as a character flaw, and it wasn’t that; at least I wasn’t intending.”
Richardson emphasized that both the St. Louis and Atlanta organizations were great places, but as a young player in his twenties, he sometimes felt disconnected during his development.
“That’s the thing about being here, I can be my own person, be the player that I need to be and be able to help everybody else in a relaxed environment. I can be a big leader here,” Richardson said. “When (his time) with affiliate was over, I had my identity in it to the point where it really broke me. I didn’t have a true identity in anything other than baseball.”
Richardson’s message to younger players coming up in the sport is not to put their identity into baseball.
“It’s a platform. It’s something that the Lord has blessed me with and opened doors with for me, but it’s not everything,” he said.
After leaving the minors, Richardson considered becoming a fitness influencer on social media. He then signed with the Quebec Capitals, another Frontier League team, before being traded to Florence soon after.
“I was 1-for-17, and I was like, ‘OK, I guess this baseball thing isn’t going to work out. Things ended up working out great,” he said.
In his first season with Florence, Richardson hit .284 with 36 RBIs, 31 runs, and 12 home runs. The 12 homers were his highest total since he hit the same number in his first year with Single-A Peoria in 2021.
“I did well, and I thought, I’ll give it a try. I’ll keep trying,” Richardson said.
Florence Y’all’s Zade Richardson makes contact with a pitch during a Frontier League game July 17, 2026, against the Mississippi Mud Monsters at Thomas More Stadium in Florence, Kentucky.
Jake Dowling/The Clermont Sun
FLORENCE, YA’LL
Richardson credits manager Chad Rhoades for his support during his first three years in Florence. Their mutual understanding came at a time when Richardson felt he was at a crossroads in his baseball career.
Things changed for Richardson when former big leaguer Toby Hall became manager this year. Hall played nine years in the majors with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now the Rays), Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox before retiring after the 2008 season.
“We played against each other and, funny enough, he didn’t like me at first,” Richardson said. “But it’s obviously not like that anymore. At first, I was a little skeptical, and I’m sure he was, too, but there have been a lot of changes in my life and committing my life to the Lord has allowed me to make a lot of changes.
“Now, he has accepted me almost like a son.”
When Richardson’s initial stint in the Minors ended, Richardson had a hurt sense of pride, he said. While some aspects of his game improved, he was in a state where receiving additional information was hard for him to process.
“Him (Hall) coming in, I’m just eating it up and he’s taking me under his wing. At the same time, I seem to get stronger and stronger with having a fanbase here,” Richardson said.
When he’s not hitting home runs for the Y’alls, Richardson hosts several baseball clinics for youth throughout the Greater Cincinnati area. He focuses on more than just improving skills at the plate or behind it; he wants to help young players build character and learn the finer points of the game, details he feels are often overlooked today.
“There was a time when I wasn’t able to sustain as much, and I’m learning that now,” Richardson said. “So I want to make sure that these guys, whether it’s the young kids or the guys here who are about to take that next step in the big leagues and go farther than me.”
Richardson has played winter ball and plans to keep doing so, but he now has a different perspective about joining a Major League Baseball team.
“I can’t necessarily control that,” he said. “I believe all the teams know who I am. I have been up to Double-A, and I have been at a big league camp. I have played here for three to four years, and I’ve put up big numbers, and I can do all the things.
“But I think the cool part about being here now is, at least as a catcher, it takes a lot of development. I’ll be 27 next year, and you see a lot of catchers in the big leagues who are really good at 27, 28, 29. What a time right now to be 27, still playing and still getting bigger, stronger, faster, smarter, with a lot of experience; anything could happen. I’m pretty prepared for anything. But my focus right now is to take care of these guys, and if those opportunities arise, I’ll be ready.”
