Tom Goodwin

Infobox MLB retired
name=Tom Goodwin
position=Outfielder
bats=Left
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1968|7|27
Fresno, California
debutdate=September 1
debutyear=by|1991
debutteam=Los Angeles Dodgers
finaldate=September 30
finalyear=by|2004
finalteam=Chicago Cubs
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.268
stat2label=Hits
stat2value=1,029
stat3label=Stolen bases
stat3value=369
teams=
* Los Angeles Dodgers (by|1991-by|1993)
* Kansas City Royals (by|1994-by|1997)
* Texas Rangers (by|1997-by|1999)
* Colorado Rockies (by|2000)
* Los Angeles Dodgers (by|2000-by|2001)
* San Francisco Giants (by|2002)
* Chicago Cubs (by|2003-by|2004)

Thomas Jones Goodwin (born July 27, 1968 in Fresno, California) is a former Major League Baseball player. He attended Central Union High School in Fresno, and then went on to play for Fresno State University. He is currently a coach with the Lowell Spinners.

Professional career

In by|1986, the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Goodwin, who was an outfielder, in the 6th round (134th overall). He opted not to sign. In by|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 by|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 ended up spending only three seasons in the minors (all of which he stole over 45 bases) before making his Major League debut on September 1, by|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 by|1996, and a .290 batting average with the Rangers in by|1998. Tom had a pretty impressive year when it came to home runs in by|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-it 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 by|2004, but he played in the independent Atlantic League in by|2005 for the Atlantic City Surf.

Post playing career

Since retiring as a player, Goodwin has managed the Lewisville Lizards and has been named to the 2008 coaching staff of the Lowell Spinners, a minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. [cite web|url=http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view.bg?articleid=1071903 | title=Kielty’s official |date=2008-02-07 |work=Boston Herald |author=Michael Silverman | accessdate=2008-02-07]

Major Transactions

*July 25, by|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.

Other information

*While at Fresno, Goodwin played baseball, basketball and football.
*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.
*His mother was the first African American teacher in Fresno.
*Goodwin recorded his 1000th career hit off of Mike Gallo on August 20, by|2003 (vs. Houston Astros).
*Goodwin currently resides in Grapevine, Texas.

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.

References

*baseball-reference|id=g/goodwto01
* [http://mlb.com MLB.com]
* [http://thebaseballcube.com TheBaseballCube.com]
* [http://tsn.ca TSN.ca]
* [http://baseball-almanac.com Baseball-Almanac.com]
* [http://baseball-library.com Baseball-Library.com]