Hunter
Goodman

2021 MLB Draft: Goodman has been a performer for three years at Memphis, hitting 13 homers and 16 doubles as a true freshman in 2019, then smacking eight long balls and posting a 1.159 OPS in the shortened 2020 campaign. He’s been very good again this year, though not as spectacular, hitting .309/.383/.564 with six homers, eight doubles and 20 RBIs in 110 at-bats. Goodman has always been a free swinger—even in his standout 2019 season he whiffed 55 times against nine walks—and that didn't change in his third year at Memphis. But the strikeouts are an acceptable tradeoff for his power production. At 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, Goodman has a thick, powerful frame and plus-plus raw power from the right side. He sets up slightly open with some pre-pitch rocking to generate rhythm, then uses a big leg lift and a long stride, swinging hard with some natural uppercut. His swing has some length, but when he connects he can hit the ball a country mile. He also shows the ability to shorten his leg lift with two strikes, and he shows pitch recognition despite his strikeout total. Defeinsively, he has shown above-average raw arm strength and fair receiving skills in the past. Scouts aren’t sold on his defense, but he’s a hard worker with a chance to stick behind the plate as an average receiver with average blocking skills down the road.

Goodman has been a performer for three years at Memphis, hitting 13 homers and 16 doubles as a true freshman in 2019, then smacking eight long balls and posting a 1.159 OPS in the shortened 2020 campaign. He’s been very good again this year, though not as spectacular, hitting .309/.383/.564 with six homers, eight doubles and 20 RBIs in 110 at-bats. Goodman has always been a free swinger — even in his standout 2019 season he whiffed 55 times against nine walks — and that hasn’t changed in his third year at Memphis. He has struck out 30 times against 12 walks in 30 games this year, but the strikeouts are an acceptable trade-off for his power production. At 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, Goodman has a thick, powerful frame and plus-plus raw power from the right side. He sets up slightly open with some pre-pitch rocking to generate rhythm, then uses a big leg lift and a long stride, swinging hard with some natural uppercut. His swing has some length, but when he connects he can hit the ball a country mile. He also shows the ability to shorten his leg lift with two strikes, and he shows pitch recognition despite his strikeout total. Goodman started at DH on this look (we missed the second game of the doubleheader, when he caught), but we have seen him show above-average raw arm strength and fair receiving skills in the past. Scouts aren’t sold on his defense, but he’s a hard worker with a chance to stick behind the plate as an average receiver with average blocking skills down the road. He profiles as an offensive catcher whose power should still get him drafted in the top couple of rounds this summer. 

After an outstanding freshman year for the Tigers (.326/.367/.573 with 13 HR and 67 RBI) in 2019 where he played mostly outfield, Goodman suited up behind the dish in the Cape Cod League last summer. He continued to slug, posting a .276/.291/.494 slash with 10 doubles and eight HRs while leading the Cape with a 37 RBI in 43 games. Offensively, he loads into a slight arm bar creating leverage and plus-plus raw power to his pull side. He does not walk much; nine in 239 at-bats last spring, just three in 156 Cape at-bats, and five in 77 plate appearances during the 2020 spring. Moving forward, Goodman will need to improve his plan/pitch selection at the plate, but the power is real (eight HRs in 70 at-bats this past spring) and it’s something that is greatly valued in the draft, especially at his position. He’s also an RBI machine; 31 in 17 games last spring, including 24 in one weekend series where he also hit three Grand Slams and was named the AstroTurf/D1Baseball Player of the Week. Defensively, Goodman shows above average raw arm strength and fair receiving skills. His most accurate throws come with average arm strength and POP times just over 2.00. He frames the low pitch well, yet will need to improve his overall receiving skills, something that he is likely to do over the next several months at Memphis as he is a hard worker who possesses top-scale makeup. Overall, Goodman profiles as an offensive catcher in pro ball with a chance to become a better than average receiver with average blocking skills. He has all the tools and abilities to become a Day One selection in 2021.

Six-1, 210-pound catcher.  Righty hits from an open, slightly crouched stance w/ back shoulder hand location and short bat waggle.  Leg kick w/ power load.  Consistent landing with leg kick, maintains balance.  Premium bat speed.  Elite level hitter w/ average and power potential.  Defensively, presents a good target.  Glove rest gets a little big.  Gets a little stabby as a receiver, but likely due to catching pitcher he is unfamiliar with.  Memphis commit.