Goodrum, a native of Fayetteville, Georgia, went to the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 2010 draft.
Scouts praised his quickness, arm strength, and raw power at the time, but felt his approach would require refinement in the professional game.
He didn’t make much progress in the Twins system, spending three seasons in the rookie league before being overshadowed by other players.
In spite of this, the catcher continued to climb the ladder, moving up one level each season until he reached Triple-A this year.
Goodrum is a 6-4, 190-pound switch-hitter. Since high school, he’s grown at least an inch and 20 pounds, and he may not be done growing.
I thought he was second only to Byron Buxton in pregame agility and quickness, and it showed on the field. Additionally, his throwing arm is among the strongest I’ve ever seen during fielding practice.
Shortstop is his primary position in the game, but I couldn’t get an accurate read on his in-game range and footwork because he was DH. However, there has been discussion of his being moved to the outfield.
Despite his 0-for-5 performance and one strikeout, I thought Goodrum showed some promise as a bat. He was a patient hitter with above-average bat speed who worked the count efficiently.
There is some zip in his bat and I wouldn’t be surprised if he hits more home runs down the road even if his swing is flat and his power is still early.
To his credit, he was much more disciplined in his approach to pitching, which was appreciated by the rest of the Cedar Rapids lineup.
Who Drafted Niko Goodrum?
Goodrum was taken in the second round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft by the Minnesota Twins, with the 71st overall pick.
He signed with the Gulf Coast Twins of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, collecting a $514,800 signing bonus, and made his professional debut.