When baseball struck him out, Josh Richmond found a way to get back on base.
Toward the end of the 2012 season, Richmond was struggling. A right fielder for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, he had a .178 batting average. He was released.
“I was devastated. I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I just felt empty,” Richmond said.
Having a wife, Lauren, and son, Colton, then almost 2, Richmond was concerned about supporting them.
While he had grown up a Christian, he said he went about his business “not really seeking God. I always prayed and I always thought I had a relationship with Christ but I really didn’t get into the Word.”
After his release, he began to build a relationship with Christ.
“It became real for me and a focal point in my life. That was the point where it was 100 percent. That is when I needed Him most and I really turned to Jesus. That is when my life changed.”
Drafted out of the University of Louisville by the Texas Rangers in the 12th round in 2010 (376th overall), Richmond sought guidance from Jon Edwards, now a pitcher with the Texas Rangers.
“I knew that he had a really strong relationship with Christ and I knew that his life had changed because of his faith. I sought him wanting guidance. We became great friends and [he] was the trigger to me just giving Jesus my soul and telling Him that I wanted Him to be my Lord and Savior.”
Richmond was reading a book at the time of his release and he felt led to turn to page 27, his jersey number.
“People say they hear God talking to them. As my faith gets stronger I slowly start to feel that more. The day I got released I hit my knees. I was just praying to God saying, ‘I don’t know what I am going to do with my life right now. I need You. Just help me get through this hard time.’
“He led me to read this book and something told me to turn to page 27. I turn to page 27 and it is a story about this guy and he has been laid off from his job. God had told him that this was all part of His plan, to trust. He was doing this to bring his relationship closer to God. That is basically when I felt at ease,” Richmond said.
“You hear people say that they have been saved. It is such a stronger meaning than that. It truly is. When I decided to put Him first in my life and truly drop everything and give my life to Him is when I became at peace with everything around baseball. Being a father, a husband, He gets me through everything. He is my rock.”
In 2013, Richmond started fresh. He was signed by the Chicago White Sox and has been with four of their minor league teams including the Birmingham Barons and the Charlotte Knights in 2014. Richmond played 100 games in 2014 in Birmingham.
Starting the 2015 season with Birmingham, Richmond has spent much of it on the disabled list.
Baseball does throw its own curve ball.
“It’s hard to deal with so much failure. Sometimes you get frustrated. You have to let it all go and stay positive and keep a good attitude because God is ultimately in control,” Richmond said.
Share with others: