Thread: Niko Goodrum

He'll likely just miss a couple of games with a sore elbow.

Niko update: Recovering from a sore elbow due to last week's beaning, Niko was only called on to play in 4 games this week...And, he's still mashing:

21G | 99PA | 16SO | 21BB | 8-1B | 5-2B | 6-3B | 2HR | 21RBI | .289/.444/.592 | 3SB - 1CS

Most notably young mister Goodrum's OBP is keeping steady due to a continuing glut of walks. In fact, his 21 free passes this season leads the Appy league (Max Kepler is 3rd with 19 BB). Through a mere 100 plate appearances, this high number of walks viewed in combination with a SO/PA ratio that has dropped from .245 in 2011 to .162 in 2012, Niko is increasingly looking like a legitimate top-of-order prospect.

Niko had a subpar week which saw all of his triple-slash numbers decline and his season SO total pass the BB total. However, the season-long effort remains satisfactory:

28G | 127PA | 25SO | 23BB | 12-1B | 6-2B | 6-3B | 3HR | 25RBI | .265/.402/.529 | 3SB - 1CS

Two week update: Niko's ridiculous start to the season has leveled off into what is still very good production, ranking in the top 20 in most offensive states in the APPY League including the top 5 in walks and RBI.

38G | 176PA | 25SO | 23BB | 18-1B | 9-2B | 6-3B | 3HR | 31RBI | .248/.375/.455 | 5SB - 1CS

Not much to see here. Niko's essentially holding ground statistically on offense but for a continued dry spell on extra base hits:

45G | 210PA | 42SO | 33BB | 24-1B | 10-2B | 6-3B | 3HR | 34RBI | .247/.367/.425 | 5SB - 2CS

Would love to hear some first-hand reports on how he's performed at SS. For what it's worth, there has been a marked improvement this year over last in his fielding statistics: RF/G has increased from 4.22 to 4.34 and fielding percentage has increased from .905 to .948 (24E in 252Ch in 2011 vs 9E in 174Ch in 2012).

Unfortunately, Niko's hot start has faded into a tumultuous August where his offensive numbers have dropped to below respectable in the hitter friendly APPY League. The big difference from early in the season has been plate discipline, as Goodrum has struck out twice as often has he's walked over the past month vs. the exact opposite (2X BB to SO) for June. Update:

56G | 260PA | 54SO | 37BB | 30-1B | 11-2B | 7-3B | 4HR | 37RBI | .237/.346/.406 | 6SB - 2CS

With the league ending in early September, it's easy to see why Goodrum was given another year in the APPY League. My guess would be he'll play full season next year at Beloit in what could be a make-or-break type of year.

Niko's final numbers for 2012 at E-Town:

58G | 269PA | 56SO | 38BB | 31-1B | 12-2B | 8-3B | 4HR | 38RBI | .242/.349/.419 | 6SB - 3CS

Any thoughts?

I don't pay much attention to raw athletic kids numbers the first couple years. You just look for small improvements and I think Niko showed plenty repeating Etown.

The batting average went down, but the Isolated discipline and Isolated power went up... Agree with DPJ on the athletes in the low levels. I would say that next year will be a big year for him!

My thoughts are that he was absolutely awful the final two months of the season and he has only become a slightly better prospect. He's still interesting as an athlete but I have my doubts whether he'll ever do anything interesting in full season ball.

From Twins Top Ten on Prospect361.com

10. Niko Goodrum (SS)
Repeating the Appy League usually doesn’t get you on many Top 10 lists, particularly when your statistical output declined in the second year. However, Goodrum has a number of things going from him including athleticism, nice swing mechanics with great balance and bat speed, and the ability to play a quality premium position.

Offseason Update:
Over the winter, Niko visited an elementary class, was featured in an MLB top prospect profile, appeared in many scouting books, and was generally a consensus Twins top 25 prospect (#16, #27, #15, #17, #16, etc...)

2013 Outlook:
Niko is likely to spend the season with Jake Mauer and the Cedar Rapids Kernels. The hope is that Niko can improve contact while continuing the defensive and plate discipline progress he made in 2012. It will be interesting to see if, at some point, Niko shows enough progress to join former prospect-peers Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario at Ft. Meyers or if he is left languishing in the corn fields for a year. Don't be surprised by a bump in power from the 6'3" athlete who turns 21 this Thursday (2/28/13).