Hunter Goodman will be on the Colorado Rockies in tonight’s All-Star Game, and despite playing for the worst team in the Grand Slam, he is by no means a choice to fill the quota. The 25-year-old receiver is cutting speeds with 17 home runs and 120 WRC+ 345 set appearances.277/.325/.517. In addition, his 52 RBI is the most in the advanced track backstage.
Three months before his All-Star selection, he introduced Hunter Goodman here in an article by Fangraphs. When my colleague Davy Andrews wrote the April 9 work, Goodman saw 63 balls outside the strike zone and waved 33 of them, giving him a 54.1% chase rate. His total swing is also 66.1%.
As Davy wrote: “It’s as extreme as baseball.”
I came up with this post when the Rockies visited Fenway Park last week and Goodman’s response was gold. After reading my colleague’s column, the young Slugger replied, “That guy is better off showing up here.” He was joking – the sentence came with a smile – and then he became serious.
“I honestly did a good job at that time,” Goodman recalled. “I had to play a lot. But yes, I’m swinging a lot. From the beginning of the year, I’ve tried to be aggressive and try to see where I’m at. Just like everything else; you walk more and more; you walk better, the calmer you get. Throughout the season, the season got better. It’s been very helpful every day in the lineup. ”
Goodman won a fourth-round draft pick from Memphis in 2021 and has played 85 games at the major league level this season. He made his debut two years ago in late August, with his 2024 campaign (61 WRC+ with 224 pas of the Rockies) that included 70 games, plus 31 games of the three ACs.
The attack mode method is not new. As Davy also noted, Goodman entered the season with a higher than ideal chase rate, although it improved – especially since he didn’t quite turn into Juan Soto compared to the first two weeks. The leopard can only change his spots.
“I’ve always been an aggressive batsman, and that’s the thing,” Goodman said. “The coach and I have already talked about it. I don’t want to think there ‘s less sway’, I want to cause harm there. I mean, my approach hasn’t really changed, but I do want to be more selective. ”
According to Rockies co-batting coach Nic Wilson, a mindset that augments attack mode with a more nuanced approach will only make Goodman better.
“With good stuff, decisions are always important,” Wilson said, who was the Colorado minor league hit coordinator before entering mid-May. “He’s dangerous when he’s swinging on a court that’s good for him. It’s a constant conversation. We’re working every day. Even with him in the A-Ball, that’s a point.”
When our 2024 Colorado Rockies Premium Prospects List emerged in April – Goodman ranked fourth with 45+ FV – Eric Longenhagen wrote: “Goodman’s power was sensational. He brought epic, Epic, Max swings and was able to put the ball in all areas.”
When asked whether honing in a certain area would further improve his level of punishment for his pitcher, the former Memphis Tigers disagreed and disagreed.
“I think it depends.” In June, I hit home runs at many different locations in the area. Sometimes I go well and if it’s a strike, I have a chance to cause harm. Sometimes I also get bad, I need it to be somewhere. It’s about when to figure it out at that time. ”
Goodman doesn’t necessarily agree with him that he’s taking Max-forfort’s swing, at least not if he’s going well.
“I try to sway when I get into trouble,” he told me. “I want to keep it good and smooth. It’s like controlled aggression. It feels like my level of effort isn’t high, although maybe it looks like that from the outside.”
This brings us back to his plate discipline. When asked how Goodman has bounced back from his chase to the season’s rebound, Wilson cited how the body and mind of the batsman’s box are intertwined.
“In terms of adjustment, we tried to relieve a little tension in his setup,” the hot coach explained. “He had a little nervous shoulder at the beginning of the year. It was a very smooth move when he had a great success. It was a big move – it was full of energy – but there wasn’t much tension inside. He was sporting like an athlete. He came back to that and it was good for him.
“It’s all tied up,” Wilson added. “You’ll make better decisions when you feel good in the box. It’s a big part of it. When Hunter feels he’s on time and can hit the best heater for the pitcher, he’ll make better decisions. When he does that, he’ll make a lot of damage.”
