The latest C’s Chat is with 2023-2024 Vancouver Canadians infielder Nick Goodwin.
The Kansas City, Missouri product grew up in a baseball family with his father David Goodwin having played in the KC Royals organization as a first baseman from 1998-2000. His uncle Mark Goodwin was also an outfielder/first baseman in the Baltimore Orioles system in 1985 and 1986. Nick starred at Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park, Kansas where he hit .386 with a .483 on-base percentage in his 2019 junior season. He was a key contributor to the Saints regional championship and second-place finish in the 5A State tournament.
There was no senior season for Goodwin as a result of the pandemic in 2020 but he still played ball in the Ban Johnson Collegiate League. He batted .378 with a 1.213 OPS for the Building Champions over 13 games and was named team MVP and First Team All-Star. In addition to getting some action on the diamond, Goodwin put on about 20 pounds to his 6-foot-1 frame to allow him to hit for more power.
After his extensive work pumping iron, it was off to college for Goodwin in 2021 where he honoured his commitment to Kansas State, allowing him to stay close to home. He showed a solid all-around game by hitting .277/.355/.482 with 10 home runs to tie the Wildcats single-season record for a freshman. Goodwin also swiped a team-leading 14 bases and that contributed to a season in which he was a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, a Big 12 Conference All-Freshman Team selection and an All-Big 12 Honourable Mention.
In 2022, Goodwin slugged .525 with 11 home runs among his 31 extra-base hits and drove in a team-leading 48 runs batted in and 30 walks. That led to yet another All-Big 12 Honourable Mention. After going to the Cape Cod League in 2021 where he batted .225 in 21 games for Bourne, he made another trip to the Cape in 2022 and fared much better with a batting line of .269/.375/.409 with six homers among 17 extra-base knocks and 22 RBI with Harwich.
A Preseason All-Big 12 Team selection heading into 2023, Goodwin met those expectations by slashing .285/.394/.511 with 12 homers and 57 RBI. Once again, he was an All-Big 12 Honourable Mention and was named a semifinalist for the College Baseball Foundation Brooks Wallace Award.
Baseball America rated Goodwin as the 158th best prospect in the 2023 MLB Draft and had this to say about him.
“He can impact a game in more ways than one, and also has a solid history of performance in the Cape Cod League. The athletic, 6-foot-1, 205-pound righthanded hitter has good strength in his wrists and forearms that produces good bat speed and exit velocities that can reach a maximum near 110 mph. Goodwin is a low-ball hitter and looks to lift for damage, with all of his home runs this spring going to the pull side. Though he has shown the ability to level off on pitches up in the zone, his lower quadrant average speaks much louder. Goodwin is aggressive at the plate but will take his walks. He improved his strikeout rate significantly year-over-year, going from a 23.1% strikeout rate in 2022 to a 13.5% rate in 2022. Defensively, Goodwin possesses instincts and proper actions with an above-average arm that will allow him to stay on the dirt at the next level. Second base may ultimately be his spot, but he will have the ability to move around the dirt and perhaps take on an outfield role as well. He’s a well-rounded player who fits at some point on the second day of the draft.”
On the recommendation of scout Wes Penick, the Toronto Blue Jays would select Goodwin in the seventh round of the 2023 MLB Draft and give him a signing bonus of $236,200.
The orientation camp at Dunedin, Florida awaited Goodwin before he was assigned to the D-Jays. He collected his first run batted in during his first professional game in Tampa on July 29. His second game was Game 2 of a doubleheader that night and registered his first professional hit with a three-run double.
Other Dunedin highlights for Goodwin included driving in the winning run with a 2-for-5 performance against Fort Myers on August 6 and belting his first professional home at Lakeland on August. 9. Also on the Goodwin highlight reel for August 2023 with the D-Jays finishing a double short of a cycle at Clearwater on August 16 and driving in four runs after a 2-for-3 performance against St. Lucie on August 23. He recorded a pair of seven-game hitting streaks from August 5-13 and August 25-September 3.
Goodwin’s year was not done yet though. He was promoted to Vancouver for the final week of the regular season and drew a walk in his pinch-hitting debut at Tri-City on September 5. His first Northwest League hit was a double and he heard ball four twice against the Dust Devils on September 7. He repeated his one-hit, two-walk feat against the Double-D’s and was credited with the game-winning RBI on September 8.
After being named to the C’s playoff roster, Goodwin was pressed into action in Game 2 of the Northwest League final in Everett after a wrist injury to Peyton Williams by entering the game at second base on September 13. Goodwin took one for the team in Game 3 at Nat Bailey Stadium on September 15 before getting on base three times in the clinching Game 4 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and a two-run home run to cap off a 10-2 victory on September 16.
That homer was a sneak preview of what fans can expect from Goodwin in 2024. He belted his first regular season home run as a member of the C’s on Opening Night as he connected for a three-run homer in a win over the Hillsboro Hops on April 9. His second dinger of the year came in Game 2 of an April 12 doubleheader but he saved his biggest hit of the homestand for last as he walked off the Hops with an RBI single to cap a five-run rally with two outs in the ninth on April 14.
C’s Plus Baseball was able to speak with Goodwin during the team’s Media Day event earlier this month. This interview has been edited for clarity.
C’s Plus Baseball – Let’s begin with the draft. You were picked out of Kansas State. Did you have any idea it was going to be the Blue Jays who were going to take you?
Nick Goodwin – No, I had no idea. Actually, I didn’t talk to the Blue Jays a whole lot at all. So when they called my name, it was kind of a surprise to me. But, you know, I was excited. I was ready to get to work. And looking back on it now, there’s no place I’d rather be.
CPB – Did you sense any other teams were interested?
NG – Yeah, there are some teams that I talk to more than others. But at the end of the day, anything can happen in a draft like that. So, yeah, I’m happy with the team that I ended up with. The organization is great and I’ve had a lot of fun since being drafted.
CPB – Your father played minor league baseball and your uncle as well. How valuable was that for you to have their experiences to draw upon?
NG – Yeah, well, first off, I was around guys who knew the game pretty well
my whole life so I was getting coached the right way. I was always taught how to play the game the right way. I played for my Dad. He was my coach growing up all the way to high school and my uncle kind of took over. So, yeah, I spent a lot of time with those guys, and they’ve made a big impact on where I am today.
CPB – When did you get started playing baseball? Can you bring us a timeline from your time beginning in baseball all the way up to Kansas State?
NG – Yeah, I started playing since I was like three, five years old, so very young. In high school, I was pretty undersized for a while, so I was kind of a late bloomer. I didn’t have a ton of interest out of high school and ended up going to K-State. COVID summer was a blessing in disguise. I ended up putting on 20 to 25 pounds, which allowed me to go in and start as a freshman at K-State. I had the most fun three years of my life there. I definitely made the right decision there. The coaching staff was awesome. The facilities were great. Big 12 was a great conference. I had a ton of fun playing there.
CPB – You go to Dunedin for the draft camp. How important was that for you to kind of have a bit of an orientation session after you come off a long season in college ball?
NG – It was fun. I had a good time. I didn’t play summer ball between my K-State season and Dunedin, so I didn’t play summer ball. It took me a little bit to kind of get going just because I hadn’t seen pitching in a while. But once I got going, I felt good, felt strong, was hitting well, playing good defence, and then I got the chance to come up and play with the Canadians for about a week and a half, and that was probably the best atmosphere I’ve played in my entire life.
CPB – What was your experience like with Dunedin? You had some highlights there with a home run at one point.
NG – Yeah, it was a lot of fun. It was my first little taste of pro ball. It was a culture shock. You’re playing with a lot of guys from all over the world, so that was really cool to me. Not a whole lot of fans, though, so you really had to focus more in on the game. I had a good time, though. It was a lot of fun.
CPB – You’re coming down to the last week of the season. Did you have any idea you were going to get called up to Vancouver? How did you find out about it?
NG – No, I had no idea. We were actually in Daytona and just finished our sixth game of the week. We were about to hop on the bus and head back home. And when the manager called, he called me into his office and said I’d be going up for the playoffs. And I was super excited. My parents were actually supposed to come down to Dunedin and watch me play the next day. So they weren’t able to come, obviously. They didn’t come up to Vancouver either. But, yeah, I was super excited.
CPB – What was your sense of the team atmosphere? Things were kind of at a down moment for the team after a tough series against Hillsboro. What was your sense of the team coming in, yand getting used to a new set of teammates in Tri-City?
NG – Yeah. Well, like you said, I was coming into a team full of guys that I didn’t know. So I was a little nervous at first. I’d never been in the Northwest before. So I just met all the guys. They’re all super good guys, all the coaching staff. They’re all awesome. I didn’t play the first game so I kind of just got to sit back and watch the game.
CPB – Your first at bat was a pinch-hit appearance which turned out to be a walk. What do you remember about that?
NG – Yeah, that was the game I was talking about where Brent, the manager, told me I wasn’t going to play. So I was kind of just sitting back in the dugout, just kind of watching the game. And he asked me, he was like, ‘You wanted that at-bat?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, sure!’ So I went up there and I was going to take until I got a strike anyway. So I ended up walking. I can’t remember if the guy walked me on four pitches or what. I don’t think I swung the bat once in that at-bat. (Editor’s Note – Nick kept the bat on his shoulder for all five pitches.)
CPB – You weren’t in the lineup for Game 1 of the playoffs but in Game 2, you had to come in after Peyton Williams got hurt. That game wasn’t going as well as you would like but what was that like to enter the game at second base?
NG – Well, in a game like that, you got to be ready for anything. So if some guy goes down, as a reserve on the bench you got to be ready to play every time. So when Peyton went down, I immediately started getting loose because I figured I’d be the guy that they called on to go get in the game. I remember it being pretty cold in Everett so it was a little uncomfortable. It was tough to get loose early on. But, yeah, I felt good. It was fun.
CPB – After getting the split, Game 3 was the 1-0 game. What do you remember about that game because it was a nail-biter.?
NG – Yeah. A super fun game. Really good pitching from both sides. And the biggest moment in the game was when Gabby (Gabby Martinez) hit that ball off the wall and drove in the run so we were all super excited and pumped up about that. It was a fun game to be a part of.
CPB – For Game 4, I was here at the stadium early and the vibe seemed really chill. You guys seemed really confident that you were going to get the job done and you did.
NG – Yeah, we tried to sit back and just be as loose and fluid as we could and just kind of relax, not get too uptight about thinking about the outcome of the game. We knew we had a really good team. We had Jennings (Ryan Jennings) on the bump, who’s really good so we all were pretty confident and felt good about what was to come.
CPB – And you hit the lone playoff home run (for the C’s). What do you remember about that plate appearance?
NG – Not a whole lot, actually. I blacked out when I was running the bases. I remember I had faced the guy in Everett the day before, a couple days before, and I kind of remembered, like, what he threw me. So he had a really good fastball. I fouled off a few pitches and I was a little behind. So I just tried to start early. I hit a hard line drive foul ball down the left field line. So I think it was like a 3-2 count, laid off some tough pitches, and he threw me a fastball. And I didn’t miss it. So, I mean, yeah, I don’t really remember running the bases at all, if I’m being honest but it was awesome.
CPB – I don’t know if you really noticed, maybe the crowd was a little bit louder than usual but another reason why was they also got to win a free burger and root beer at A&W.
NG -See, I didn’t know that until after the game. So that’s why people were really happy to hear that.
CPB – The final play. The ball gets lined out to Josh Kasevich. Were you hoping maybe the ball was going to be hit to you but it gets hit to your right? Take us through what you experienced in that final play of the game.
NG – Yeah, it happened fast. Dude smoked a ball right at Josh, and that was the end of it. And then we were dogpiling on the mound. So it was an awesome experience, something I’ve never been a part of so it was a lot of fun.
CPB – What was that like being part of the dogpile? I mean, obviously you make sure you don’t get hurt or anything like that.
NG – Yeah, exactly.
CPB – When did it sink in that, ‘Oh my God, we’re champions!’?
NG – Yeah. Well, like I said before, I hadn’t been a part of anything like that before in my life. So to finally be a part of something like that was awesome. And it’s something I’ll remember forever. It was a ton of fun and a great group of guys that accepted me when I came up at that point in the season.
CPB – For the offseason, now that you kind of got your first taste of pro ball, did you do anything differently as far as getting ready for what’s going to be your first full season in pro ball?
NG – Not really. The biggest thing for me, it was the most time I had had off from playing a baseball game my whole life. I think I was at home for like five months. So I just tried to stay consistent with what I was doing. I got a lot of resources I can use back home. Some good hitting coaches, and fielding coaches like that. So just basically just staying consistent with what I was doing.
CPB – Brent Lavallee has said that you’re going to be the man in shortstop to begin the season. How do you see yourself in that role as you’ve also played second base as well. Are you looking forward to playing at the six-spot?
NG – Yeah, absolutely. That’s what I played in college most of my life before that, actually. So I’m excited and I’m looking forward to it.
CPB – If you had to describe yourself as a player, what would be the scouting report on you?
NG – I’m fiery and play with a lot of passion. I hate losing more than I love winning so I’m kind of going to play with a chip on my shoulder as much as I can.
CPB – I saw one major league comp (for you), (former Arizona and current San Francisco shortstop) Nick Ahmed. Do you agree with that comp?
NG – See, I never watched him a whole lot. I’ve seen some video, but I’m not going to comp myself to anyone. I’ll let other people (do that). So if other people are saying that’s who they’re going to comp me with, then I’ll let them. I’ll go with that.
CPB – What would you say is your strongest aspect as a player?
NG – Probably, I would say my arm. I think that’s probably my best tool, I would say.
CPB – What’s it like preparing at shortstop as compared to second base? Is it a huge difference? I mean, it’s middle infield but obviously, you have the longer throw at short.
NG – Yeah, I’d say that’s it. You kind of got to be a little more rangy too and a better arm. other than that, I really think it’s pretty similar.
CPB – Did you have a favorite player growing up?
NG – Not really. I liked Carlos Gonzalez a lot when I was little.
CPB – Favorite major league team? I assume it’s the Royals?
NG – Yeah, the Royals.
CPB – What do you think about them maybe leaving for a new downtown ballpark?
NG – Well, as long as they’re in Kansas City, then, yeah, I don’t care.
Nick Goodwin File
- Born – September 26, 2001 in Kansas City, Missouri
- Height/Weight – 6-foot-1, 205 pounds
- Bats/Throws – Right/Right
- Uniform Numbers – Wore number 25 with Kansas State from 2021-2023, wore number 36 with Dunedin and 34 with Vancouver in 2023.
- Walkup Music – “Juicemane” by Key Block.
- Instagram – @ndgoodwin9
Thanks a million to Nick Goodwin and C’s broadcaster Tyler Zickel for setting up this episode of C’s Chat.
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