Braves swiped game-changing element from Mets that could change NL East race

One of the defining moves in the NL East Division race this offseason may involve someone who only stands in foul territory.

The Atlanta Braves' new first base coach has arrived from the New York Mets, who wanted him back but were outdone by Atlanta's offer. That's Antoan Richardson, and he could be a pivotal piece in a potential bounceback season for the Braves.

Richardson was a little-known MLB player, with his most notable moment being scoring the walk-off run on Derek Jeter's career-ending RBI single.

In the first base coaching box, though, Richardson is great.

"Juan Soto stole 57 bases in his first seven seasons in the big leagues, average numbers for a player of average speed. But last year, Soto connected with New York Mets first-base coach Antoan Richardson and became invested in the idea of being a better baserunner," ESPN's Buster Olney wrote in a new article on Friday. "... Soto (put his mind to it), swiping 38 bases while getting thrown out just four times; it's as if he carried the attention to detail he has had in his intense plate appearances onto the bases, with Richardson's guidance."

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Olney added that the Mets did indeed want Richardson back, but that didn't come to fruition.

Now he's with the Braves, and they're a team that could use his expertise.

"Last year, the Braves ranked 27th in stolen bases, and they really didn't upgrade their roster with any base-burners in the offseason -- adding Mike Yastrzemski, (Mauricio) Dubon and Ha-Seong Kim," Olney writes. "But (Walt) Weiss is hopeful that they could be better on the bases and perhaps more diverse in their offense, rather than being so reliant on the home run. Over the past three seasons, 47% of Atlanta's run production has come from home runs -- the second-highest rate in the big leagues, per ESPN's Paul Hembekides."

It's an underrated addition, one that generated very little by way of headlines when Richardson switched NL East allegiance.

But when a Braves runner gets to first base this season, keep an eye on Richardson. His tutelage may end up making a big impact.

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