Clayton Richard Clayton Colby Richard ( born September 12 , 1983 ) is a left - handed pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball . He is 6 feet and 5 inches tall , and weighs 240 pounds . High school . Richard was awarded Indiana ' s Mr . Football and Mr . Baseball his senior year at McCutcheon High School and was also his class ' valedictorian . College . Richard accepted a scholarship to play football and baseball at the University of Michigan in the fall of 2003 . Richard was redshirted for the Wolverines football team his freshman year . In 2004 , he battled for the starting spot on the team , but lost out to Chad Henne . Richard was the Wolverine ' s # 2 quarterback that season , but he saw limited action , mostly in blowout wins over Miami ( Ohio ) , Indiana , and Northwestern . Richard appeared in 4 total games for the Wolverines in 2004 , only attempting 15 passes for 8 completions and 52 total yards . The following spring , Richard joined the Wolverines baseball team and pitched well . In his one season in Ann Arbor , Richard pitched 21 games , mostly as a reliever and compiled a 0 - 1 record with a 2 . 43 ERA , a 1 . 20 WHIP , and 27 K ' s in 33 . 1 IP , good for a 7 . 29 K / 9 innings ratio . The Wolverines were 42 - 19 that season and finished 4th in the Big 10 with a 17 - 12 conference record . They were the 3rd seed in the Atlanta Regional of the College Baseball Tournament , but were eliminated in the 2nd round of the Regionals , losing both games to South Carolina by 1 run . After starting his baseball career with moderate success , Richard dropped his football scholarship at Michigan and focused on baseball full - time . Professional career . Chicago White Sox . The White Sox selected Richard in the 8th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft . He was the 2nd player from Michigan drafted , the first being Chris Getz , also selected by the Sox in the 4th round . After playing for the Rookie - level Great Falls White Sox and Class - A Kannapolis Intimidators in 2005 , the Intimidators and Class - A Advanced Winston - Salem Warthogs in 2006 , the Warthogs in 2007 and the Class - AA Birmingham Barons and Class - AAA Charlotte Knights in 2008 , Richard made his major league debut with the White Sox on July 23 , 2008 . In 2009 , Richard was initially used out of the bullpen , but then moved to the starting rotation on May 12 , making 14 starts for the White Sox that year . On July 31 , 2009 Richard was traded along with Aaron Poreda , Adam Russell and Dexter Carter to the San Diego Padres for 2007 Cy Young Award - winner Jake Peavy . San Diego Padres . Richard made his first start for the Padres on August 1 , 2009 , recording no decision in 5 innings at home against the Milwaukee Brewers . Richard compiled a 5 - 2 record with a 4 . 08 ERA over 12 starts in his partial season with the Padres . Richard started 33 games for the Padres in 2010 , building a 14 - 9 record and a 3 . 75 ERA over 201 innings . On September 21 , 2010 Richard threw his first career shutout , giving up eight hits , two walks , and recording six strikeouts in a win against the Los Angeles Dodgers along with a golden sombrero at the plate , striking out four times . In 2011 , Richard regressed slightly , posting a 5 - 9 record with a 3 . 88 ERA while his strikeout - to - walk ratio dropped to 1 . 39 K / BB from 1 . 93 K / BB in 2010 . A left shoulder strain forced Richard to the disabled list in July and later required arthroscopic surgery , ending his season . In 2012 , Richard resumed his role in the Padres starting rotation . At the end of the season , he was the unanimous pick as the Padres Pitcher of the Year by writers covering the team . He had a 14 - 14 record with a 3 . 99 earned run average . His 33 starts were tied for second in the National League ( NL ) and he was fourth with innings pitched . Playing style . Richard ' s pitching repertoire consists of a four - seam and a two - seam fastball ( 90 - 92 MPH ) , a changeup , a slider , and an occasional curveball .