Richard Thomas Karcher (born September 18, 1997) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

who is a free agent. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

Early life and amateur career

Karcher grew up in Ponte Vedra, Florida, and initially attended

Ponte Vedra High School Ponte Vedra High School (PVHS) is a public high school in the St. Johns County School District, located in Nocatee census-designated place, - Compare with school zone maps. northeast St. Johns County, Florida. The high school was constructed to ...

. Prior to his senior year of high school his family relocated to

Saline, Michigan Saline ( ') is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,948 at the 2020 census. The city borders Saline Township to the southwest, and the two are administered autonomously. History Before the 18th cent ...

, and he transferred to Saline High School. In his lone season at Saline, Karcher had a 9–0

win–loss record Win–loss may refer to: * Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action * Win–loss record, also winning percentage * Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...

with 0.41

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA). Karcher enrolled at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

and began his

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

career with the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

. After his freshman season, he transferred to

Walters State Community College Walters State Community College (abbreviated as WSCC, and commonly known as Walters State) is a public community college based in Morristown, Tennessee. It was founded in 1970 and is operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The college wa ...

. Karcher went 7–3 with a 4.27 ERA in 15 appearances with 12 starts in his lone season at Walters State.

Professional career

Cincinnati Reds

The

selected Karcher in the 13th round of the

2017 Major League Baseball draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...

. He spent his first three seasons with the team primarily as a starting pitcher and was assigned to the

Arizona League Reds The Arizona Complex League Reds are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. The team is composed ...

Greeneville Reds The Greeneville Reds were a Minor League Baseball team of the Rookie-level Appalachian League. They represented the town of Greeneville, Tennessee, though Pioneer Park, their home stadium, was located in the nearby city of Tusculum on the campus ...

, and

Billings Mustangs The Billings Mustangs are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Deh ...

. Karcher did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He began the 2021 season with the

Daytona Tortugas The Daytona Tortugas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Minor League Baseball#Single-A, Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and play their home games at Jackie R ...

Low-A Southeast The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

and was moved to the bullpen. He made nine appearances and struck out 19 batters with Daytona before being promoted to the

High-A High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...

Dayton Dragons The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark. In 2011, they broke the record for most ...

. Karcher was assigned to the Double-A

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

at the start of the 2022 season. He was promoted to the Triple-A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

after posting a 3.24 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched. On November 15, 2022, the Reds added Karcher to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Karcher was optioned to the Triple-A

to begin the 2023 season. On June 9, 2023, he was promoted to the major leagues for the first time after Graham Ashcraft was placed on the injured list. Karcher made his debut on June 12, 2023, in the 10th inning of the Reds' 5–4 victory over the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

and earned the save after pitching a scoreless inning to end the game. In 29 appearances for Louisville, he struggled to a 7.18 ERA with 36 strikeouts and 2 saves in innings pitched. On July 6, Karcher was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

after

Tony Santillan Antonio C. Santillan (born April 15, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). Amateur career Santillan attended Seguin High School in Arlington, Texas. He committed to play coll ...

was activated from the injured list. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A Louisville on July 10. Karcher elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On November 17, 2023, Karcher signed a minor league contract with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

. In 21 games for the Triple–A

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, w ...

, he struggled to an 8.46 ERA with 31 strikeouts across innings pitched. On June 16, 2024, Karcher was released by the Diamondbacks organization.

Kansas City Royals

On July 4, 2024, Karcher signed a minor league contract with the

organization. In 12 appearances for the Double-A

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. T ...

, he compiled an 0-1 record and 5.56 ERA with 11 strikeouts across innings pitched. Karcher elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Diablos Rojos del México

On February 28, 2025, Karcher signed with the

Diablos Rojos del México The Diablos Rojos del Mexico (English: Mexico Red Devils) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Mexico City, Mexico. The team was founded in 1940 by Salvador Lutteroth and Ernesto Carmona. The Diablos Rojos play their ho ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. In 12 appearances for the team, he posted a 4-0 record and 5.79 ERA with 16 strikeouts across 14 innings of relief.

Saraperos de Saltillo

On May 21, 2025, Karcher,

Ian Krol Ian Albert Krol (born May 9, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Atlanta Braves, Los Angele ...

, and

Alex Claudio Alexander Claudio (born January 31, 1992) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball pitcher for the Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Los ...

were traded to the

Saraperos de Saltillo The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serapes) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero in Saltillo, Coahuila. They have won three championships (1980, 2009 ...

in exchange for

Deolis Guerra Deolis Alexander Guerra (born April 17, 1989) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pi ...

. In 18 appearances for Saltillo, he posted a 2-1 record and 4.41 ERA with 17 strikeouts and three saves across innings pitched. Karcher was released by the Saraperos on July 14.

References

External links

Michigan Wolverines bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karcher, Ricky 1997 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Arizona League Reds players Baseball players from St. Johns County, Florida Baseball players from Washtenaw County, Michigan Billings Mustangs players Chattanooga Lookouts players Cincinnati Reds players Danville Dans players Dayton Dragons players Daytona Tortugas players Diablos Rojos del México players Greeneville Reds players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers Michigan Wolverines baseball players People from Saline, Michigan Reno Aces players Saraperos de Saltillo players Walters State Senators baseball players