Quick Facts
Biography
Thomas Jones Goodwin (born July 27, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball center fielder. He attended Central High School (Fresno, California) and then went on to play for Fresno State University. He is currently the first base coach with the New York Mets.
Professional career
In 1986, the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Goodwin in the sixth round (134th overall). He opted not to sign. In 1988, he was a member of the gold winning United States baseball team at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. Because of this, he decided to wait until 1989 to sign with a team, which is when he decided to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, after being drafted in the 1st round (22nd overall).
At 6'1", Goodwin was only 175 pounds, which gave him an advantage over his heavier teammates. He developed a forté in base stealing. He spent only three seasons in the minors (during each of which he stole over 45 bases) before making his Major League debut on September 1, 1991, at the age of 23.
Some of his major league career highlights include the 369 bases he stole over 14 years in the Major Leagues with the Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs, a career high 66 stolen bases with the Royals in 1996, and a .290 batting average with the Rangers in 1998. Tom had an interesting year when it came to home runs in 2000—not because he hit so many, but because of what kind of home runs they were. One of his six home runs occurred on April 5, was an inside-the-parker against the Braves. On April 30 against the Mets, he hit a grand slam, and on July 17 against the Athletics, he hit another grand slam.
His career statistics draw comparisons to those of Billy North, a former Oakland Athletic.
He last played major league baseball in 2004, but he played in the independent Atlantic League in 2005 for the Atlantic City Surf.
Post playing career
After retiring as a player, Goodwin managed the Lewisville Lizards, coached for the Lowell Spinners, a minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, and served as a roving outfield and base running coach in the Red Sox minor league system.
On October 29, 2011 Goodwin was named the first base coach for the Mets replacing former coach Mookie Wilson.
Major Transactions
- July 25, 1997 – sent to Rangers from Royals for third baseman Dean Palmer.
- July 31, 2000 – sent to Dodgers from Rockies for outfielder Todd Hollandsworth and minor leaguers Kevin Gibbs and Randy Dorame.
Honors and awards
- In 1989, he was a member of Baseball America's Short Season All-Star Team and a member of the Pioneer League All-Star Team.
- In 1990, he was a member of the Texas League All-Star Team.
- Goodwin was a two-time all-America selection at Fresno State University and he was also named to The Sporting News' college all-America team in 1989.
- Goodwin recorded his 1000th career hit off of Mike Gallo on August 20, 2003 (vs. Houston Astros).