Niko Goodrum - 2017

[Ben Noble]

Cartier Niko Goodrum was born and raised in Fayetteville, Georgia (population 16,000) and selected by the Twins as a toolsy but raw shortstop out of Fayette County High School in the second round (71st overall) of the 2010 draft, one spot after Andrelton Simmons. Goodrum is listed at 6’3” 198 lbs, although by all reports he’s put on some weight and looked more muscular this spring.

 

Now 25 years old, Goodrum is a switch hitter who can play all over the field and has flashed all five tools, but has yet to put it all together:

 

Hit: .275 BA in 2016; career IsoD of nearly .100
Power: .464 SLG in 2016
Speed: 35/39 SB in 2014
Defense: .971 Fld% in 250 innings as a SS in 2015
Arm: BA’s Best Infield Arm in FSL 2014

 

Goodrum spent about half of last season on the DL but, when he did play, he hit .808 in AA with over 200 innings at 3B and another 100 innings at SS. He was granted minor league free agency last fall, but quickly resigned with the Twins, who promoted him to Rochester to begin 2017.

 

There’s a lot to like about Goodrum. He’s a switch hitter who’s flashed a decent hit tool, patience at the plate and a little pop, can swipe a bag and has played every position on the field sans pitcher and catcher. He’s the definition of versatile, a jack of all trades.

 

Personally, I really liked this pick back in 2010 and thought Goodrum could’ve developed into the Twins’ SS of the future. While my expectations have certainly changed, I still think he could help the Twins as a super utility player who can play competently anywhere on the field, pinch hit from either side of the plate, and put pressure on opposing defenses as a pinch runner. There’s very real value in having that player as the 25th man on your roster.

 

And that’s probably his clearest shot at the Majors. That being said, 25 isn’t ancient, Goodrum has tools, and he wouldn’t be the first raw, small-town high school draftee who took a little longer than hoped to fulfill his potential. I’ve been rooting for this kid for seven years now and I hope to finally get a chance to see the man at Target Field in 2017.

 

Below are photos of Goodrum in high school and this past winter:

[ashbury]

Here he is in Spring Training 2017:

 

 

[dbminn]

Nice write up. I was surprised how big he looked this spring. I was impressed with his ST too.

 

[Ben Noble]

Goodrum is off to a pedestrian start to the season, playing in 8 of the Red Wings' first 10 games, with a line of .258/.294/.419 for an OPS of .713. He's added a home run, a pair of doubles and a stolen base, and his K/BB ratio is 8/2. Perhaps most notably, Goodrum has started 5 games at SS, 2 in CF and 1 at the keystone, suggesting that the organization could be looking at him as a utility player, but he's already committed 4 errors on the season.

[Seth Stohs]

A nice story on Goodrum from the Fayette County News. The Georgia native was playing at home last week when the Red Wings were in Gwinnett. His parents were there, and he played well.

 

http://fayette-news.com/fchs%E2%80%88alum-niko-goodrum-battling-one-step-closer-to-the-mlb/

 

[goulik]

A nice story on Goodrum from the Fayette County News. The Georgia native was playing at home last week when the Red Wings were in Gwinnett. His parents were there, and he played well.

 

http://fayette-news.com/fchs alum-niko-goodrum-battling-one-step-closer-to-the-mlb/

I hadn't realized (or I forgot) he was also doing some Center Field work. I like his attitude of trying to get to MLB this year. DanSan's replacement?

[Ben Noble]

 

I hadn't realized (or I forgot) he was also doing some Center Field work. I like his attitude of trying to get to MLB this year. DanSan's replacement?

 

Sure, if he can tighten up his defense a little. After 4 errors in his first 8 games, Goodrum has just one error in the past 10 games, splitting his time pretty evenly between SS and CF with a few games at 2B as well. With 18 games under his belt in 2017, Goodrum has an OPS of .710. In 74 PA, he’s hit 3 HR and 4 2B with 2 SB and a 16/5 K/BB rate.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Sure, if he can tighten up his defense a little. After 4 errors in his first 8 games, Goodrum has just one error in the past 10 games, splitting his time pretty evenly between SS and CF with a few games at 2B as well. With 18 games under his belt in 2017, Goodrum has an OPS of .710. In 74 PA, he’s hit 3 HR and 4 2B with 2 SB and a 16/5 K/BB rate.

 

Not exactly screaming "call me up". Is he just a different DanSan?

[Ben Noble]

 

Not exactly screaming "call me up". Is he just a different DanSan?

 

If by "different" you mean "better." I'm obviously biased here, but I personally think Goodrum has a higher ceiling, it's just a matter of putting it all together. But that's still a very, very big "if." Tightening up the defense at SS will be key.

[Shane Wahl]

Just a friendly update on behalf of Ben here:

 

Goodrum has posted a .781 OPS in May, while playing all over the place.

 

Season so far:

 

149 plate appearances, .250/.297/.449 (.746), 11/2/4, 9/33, and two steals. That is an ISOP of .199, well above career numbers. And he can play all seven positions out there. 

 

Eventually, we will see Adrianza's numbers fall. I think Goodrum has a legitimate chance to be the next guy up (after Vargas returns). He is a better version of Santana, with more power, less speed (but really good SB/CS ratio in the minors), and actually more defensive versatility.

[Ben Noble]

Sorry, been a hellishly busy month for me, thanks Shane!

 

A few quick tidbits to add:

• As Steve Lein noted in his roundup of yesterday's games, Goodrum had been on a nine-game hitting streak, which really helped bring his batting line up.
• As Shane noted, Goodrum can legitimately play all seven positions on the field other than pitcher and catcher, and he has now appeared at six positions for Rochester in 2017. The only position he hasn't played this season is 3, which is where Goodrum has recorded the most starts each of the past three seasons.
• After beginning the season with a spate of errors, Goodrum has committed just two errors over the past 20-plus contests, both as a MI.

[Shane Wahl]

 

 

Sorry, been a hellishly busy month for me, thanks Shane!

 

A few quick tidbits to add:

• As Steve Lein noted in his roundup of yesterday's games, Goodrum had been on a nine-game hitting streak, which really helped bring his batting line up.
• As Shane noted, Goodrum can legitimately play all seven positions on the field other than pitcher and catcher, and he has now appeared at six positions for Rochester in 2017. The only position he hasn't played this season is 3, which is where Goodrum has recorded the most starts each of the past three seasons.
• After beginning the season with a spate of errors, Goodrum has committed just two errors over the past 20-plus contests, both as a MI.

 

 

That is precisely the kind of thing that can happen in these threads. Great addition to the barebones stuff!

[Ben Noble]

Goodrum has cooled off some lately and is hitting .239/.288/.408 on the season for an OPS of .696 with 15 doubles, 2 triples and half a dozen home runs. He hasn't stolen a base in about two months and, while he played mostly SS and CF to start the season, Goodrum has primarily started in RF and at 2B since.