JR Radcliffe | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Submitted photo by Erik Brooks

Starting pitcher Trevor Richards will be the opponent Friday night when he takes the hill for the Miami Marlins at Miller Park, but he'll always have a soft spot for the Milwaukee brewers.

That's an intentional lower case on the "brewers." As recently as February 2017, the native of southern Illinois worked right up the road from the stadium at the MillerCoors Brewery, serving as a member of the guest relations team between baseball seasons.

Just more than a year later, he's capped a remarkable rise from an undrafted college pitcher playing independent ball to a major-league roster. The 24-year-old right-hander celebrated a return to his temporary home Wednesday on a Marlins off-day in Milwaukee, taking the hard-hat tour behind the scenes of the MillerCoors brewery where he was once employed.

"That was my first time on a hard-hat tour," Richards said. "The filling is pretty cool to see; to see how everything is filled and how much they can produce is incredible.

Submitted photo by Erik Brooks

"I worked out in the gym here in the mornings, then I'd go to work, and in the afternoon, I would go to BRX (gym) ..., close to the ballpark actually. A teammate of mine whose buddy was starting it up, he had an indoor place where I could throw and get on the mound. I would throw there in the evenings."

From October 2016 to the winter of 2017, Richards was in Milwaukee to be close to his childhood sweetheart, Aunna Beckemeyer, who had a full-time job downtown. Looking for temporary employment, he landed at a classic Milwaukee landmark.

"I worked in the gift shop, the employee beer store ... I did quite a bit of different stuff," he said. "I never did tours or anything like that. I enjoyed it a lot. We like Milwaukee. We’re not here anymore in the off-season, but it’s cool to visit and be up here."

He was supervised by Kristie Holden, who said another employee had suffered a broken leg and had to miss a significant amount of time, opening a position for Richards.

"I think I had applied to a hotel to be a parking valet," he said. "I was just looking for some sort of money. ... You don’t make enough to not work in the off-season. Every off-season, I had to get a job. This past one, I was back home, I was a teacher (subbing for grades K-8)."

He's in better career position now.

Undrafted to major leagues in three years

Rob Foldy/Miami Marlins

Richards landed at Miami through made-for-movie circumstances. He was pitching in independent ball after being undrafted out of Drury College in Springfield, Mo. He was a member of the Gateway Grizzlies, based out of Sauget, Ill., in 2016 when a scout who came to see someone else noticed Richards' changeup.

"They fill out reports on everybody; they filled out a report on me, and a couple weeks later I got the phone call and I got started with the Marlins," he said.

He impressed in short-season ball, then in low Class A. In 2017, rising rapidly to advanced Class A and Class AA, he posted a 2.53 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. That earned him the organization's minor-league player of the year honor and a look in spring training this year, where he managed to beat two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals — twice. That included a game in which the Marlins committed six errors but won anyway.

His 0.75 ERA in 12 innings was enough to get him on the Marlins' 40-man roster and earned him a rotation spot out of camp.

"Not really, not until the end," he said when he asked if he had any indication that a roster spot was within reach. "I didn’t really think about it at all. I was just trying to throw the best I could. I got sent down to minor-league camp just to build up innings and got lucky enough to have the chance to throw big-league games at the end of spring and threw well.

"It’s a dream come true. Honestly, I still don’t know if it’s even sunk in. It’s just awesome. Words can’t really describe it."

The story continues Friday

Submitted photo by Erik Brooks

Richards' first two big-league starts were up and down, but not his third one, in which he allowed just two hits in seven innings of shutout ball against the Pirates. He didn't get the win, but it was a huge step for the rookie changeup specialist.

"It's just good to settle in and get used to the routine and the people," he said. "It makes a big difference."

Richards gets his next crack against the Brewers. Not even 2 miles separate MillerCoors from Miller Park, but somehow the journey between the venues has still seemed lightning quick.