Hunter Goodman Stays Ready
Earlier this week on Purple Row, I wrote about the Colorado Rockies’ “six-man platoon.” A key, if overlooked, member of that arrangement is Hunter Goodman, a catcher-turned-outfielder-and-first-baseman known for his powerful swing. If you’ve lost track of him — after all, the Rockies used a lot of players in 2023 — that’s understandable.
But it’s time to give Goodman the attention he merits.
Who is this guy?
Back in 2021, the Rockies drafted the Arlington, Tennessee, native in the fourth round of the MLB Draft out of the University of Memphis. (He finished there as the Tigres’ all-time home run leader.) In 2022, his first full professional season, he slammed 36 homers while working his way through three levels of the Rockies’ system.
Goodman returned with a vengeance in 2023, starting in Double-A Hartford and moving to Triple-A Albuquerque in August. During that time, he hit 34 home runs.
What a swing.
After 15 games with the Topes, he was called up to the Rockies.
His debut went well, and he had two hits and a game-winning RBI against the Baltimore Orioles. Still, he appeared in only 23 games and had 77 plate appearances. He hit his first MLB homer on September 17th against the San Francisco Giants.
A memorable MLB debut for @Rockies No. 12 prospect Hunter Goodman:
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 27, 2023
🏔️ 2 hits
🏔️ RBI
🏔️ Scores go-ahead run in 9th
🏔️ Diving catch to secure win pic.twitter.com/UWmT57F06w
Impressive. What’s he looking like this spring?
This spring training finds him trying to pick up where he left off. Granted, spring training stats are necessarily small sample size, but so far, he’s appeared in four games with ten at-bats and has hit one home run. Less encouraging are the three strikeouts, but this is to be expected as a hitter finds his timing.
In a recent conversation with reporters, he described his offseason, his approach at the plate, and where he sees himself defensively.
How was his offseason?
Eventful. He got married, went on a honeymoon, did baseball stuff, and managed to fit in some hunting in addition to other activities he enjoys. He also did some self-reflection.
“It was a great year, and I got to experience the big leagues for the first time,” Goodman said, “so that was a lot of fun.”
Given that he did not have much MLB-level data to work with, he added that information to his numbers from Double-A and Triple-A. Among other things, he learned to be patient and trust the process.
”I mean, you're going to go through those ups and downs, and then you‘ve just got to keep pushing,” he said. ”You're working every day to get better, so eventually you're going to come out on the on the better end of things.”
And despite all that power and those MiLB homers, Goodman remains modest.
“I just come to the ballpark like I'm just another guy, and I try and stay as humble as I can and then just trust what I do.”
How is did he handle not being an everyday player?
He recognizes that it had an effect.
“Yeah, that's hard to do,” Goodman said. “But at the end of the day, I don’t want to make excuses. When your name is called upon, you want to have success.”
Plus, he used his time on the bench as a learning opportunity. In the past, he tended to relax on off-days. Not any more.
“I was like, all right, let's watch with these guys do their routine and try and learn something, just really try and get something out of that day versus just relaxing over there.”
What position is he playing now?
That’s complicated. The Rockies have been using him as a designated hitter, first baseman, and outfielder, but Goodman’s natural position is at catcher, a position he still works on.
“I'm trying to keep everything sharp — the catching, the first base, the outfield. Whatever they need me to do, I'm going to try and try and be good at it,” Goodman said.
Still, catching remains a love for him.
“I miss it sometimes,” he said. “I love catching and it’s a lot of fun, so I do want to keep it in the bag and be able to do it.“
That said, he sees some of the tough plays catchers go through — say, a foul ball off the arm — and I recognizes that the position is tough despite the rewards. “At the end of the day, catching, you’re the most involved.”
He also studied under former Rockies backup catcher Austin Wynns.
“Last year, I talked to Wynns a lot,” Goodman said. “I talked to him a lot while I was over there learning different things about catching or just the scouting reports, looking at pitchers and stuff like that.”
But he’s committed to versatility.
“I try and do it all. Whatever they put on the lineup card that day, I'm going to do it the best I can. I work hard at all three to try and keep improving at all three of them and hopefully continue to play them.”
So, what’s next?
Goodman will clearly be trying to earn a spot for himself on the Rockies roster. However, it seems more likely that he will begin the season in Albuquerque.
But look for him to spend most of his time with the Rockies.
What I’m Reading
As I become more familiar with using Ghost, I’m discovering it will do cool things like embed links, which looks much nicer than a bulleted list.
- If Michael Baumann writes something, I'm going to read it -- he's become one of my favorite baseball writers. This week, he did a little thought experiment.
- Jen Ramos Eisen considers what it's like to be an international minor-league baseball player -- and, yes, the Fresno Grizzlies come up.
Jen Ramos Eisen
- So much talk about uniforms! Paul Lukas tells an under-the-radar story of the Kansas City Royals, who refused to give up their full-size lettering.
Paul Lukas
Closing thoughts
That’s it for this week.
As always, thank for reading!
Renee
