Former Wolverines Cronenworth, Richard on USA Roster for Olympic Qualifier
10/10/2019 12:28:00 PM | Baseball, Olympics
DURHAM, N.C. -- Former University of Michigan baseball stars Jake Cronenworth (2013-15) and Clayton Richard (2005) have been named to USA Baseball's Premier12 roster and are set to play in the first opportunity for Team USA to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Team USA, managed by four-time World Series champion Joe Girardi, will begin the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 Nov. 2-4 in Guadalajara, Mexico. The U.S. is a member of Group A with the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the Netherlands. The top two nations from Group A will advance to the Super Round, Nov. 11-16 in Tokyo.
Cronenworth just finished his fourth overall season as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays organization. The dual-threat shortstop and pitcher hit .334 with 10 home runs, 75 runs scored, 45 runs batted in and an on-base percentage of .429 for the class AAA Durham Bulls in 2019. He also was utilized as the Bulls' opener in six games, throwing 7.1 innings of scoreless ball. Cronenworth left Michigan as a two-time All-Big Ten Conference second-team honoree and was the 2015 Big Ten Tournament Most Valuable Player.
Richard made 10 starts for the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2019 season after spending the majority of his 11-year MLB career with the San Diego Padres. The southpaw starter finished the campaign with a record of 1-5, giving him 69 career wins. Richard was also a quarterback on the football team while at Michigan and pitched just one season for the Wolverines, throwing 33.1 innings and boasting a 2.43 earned run average before being taken by the Chicago White Sox in the eighth round of the 2005 draft.
The tournament is the first opportunity for Team USA to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The top finisher from both the Americas territory and Asia/Oceania territory (excluding Japan) will join host country Japan and WBSC Baseball Europe/Africa Olympic Qualifier champion Israel in the six-team Olympic tournament. The final two Olympic berths will be decided in March 2020.
