Scott Richmond - College, Independent, and Minor League Career

College, Independent, and Minor League Career

Richmond's high school did not offer baseball, and he played amateur summer baseball throughout western Canada, supporting himself by working on the Vancouver dockyards. He attended Missouri Valley College for one year, and played for the school's NAIA-level baseball team. He then moved to Bossier Parish Community College in Louisiana for one year, again playing for the baseball team. He transferred to Oklahoma State University, where he was an honorable mention All-Star in the Big 12 conference for the Cowboys in 2005, his final season, but went undrafted after college, as he was already 25 years of age.

He then joined the independent Northern League, where he played three seasons for the Edmonton Cracker-Cats. He struggled in his first season with Edmonton (1–4 record with 4 saves and a 6.25 ERA) in 2005. In 2006, he was 3–7 with 8 saves and a 3.03 ERA, striking out 72 while walking only 17 in 711⁄₃ innings and allowing just 53 hits. He led Edmonton in ERA, and had he qualified with enough innings pitched, he would have ranked 4th in the Northern League. Richmond moved to the starting rotation in 2007, where he had a 10–9 record and a 4.26 ERA. The rest of the staff was just 28–49, as Richmond led his team in wins. He was 10th in the Northern League in ERA, and was the pitcher of the year for Edmonton. After his contract expired, he was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays, after impressing scouts in an open tryout.

In 2008, Richmond signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays. He had a 4.29 ERA and 115/36 K/BB ratio in 1212⁄₃ innings with 21 starts between the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats and the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs.