Hunter Goodman Has Been A Major Bright Spot For The Colorado Rockies
A breakout bat in the middle of a historic disaster season, but giving Rockies fans something to believe in
Hunter Goodman was one of my main breakout picks heading into 2025, and he’s turned into one of the most enjoyable stories in Major League Baseball; especially on a Rockies team that’s currently 16-57 and on pace to be the worst in MLB history. Through his first 288 plate appearances, Goodman has crushed 14 HR with 46 RBI, slashed .285/.326/.522, and posted a .365 wOBA, 121 wRC+, and 1.5 fWAR. But what he’s done in June has been next-level. Over his first 15 games of the month (61 PA), Goodman leads the MLB with 7 HR and ranks 4th in wRC+ at 219, all while slashing an absurd .350/.361/.850 with a .508 wOBA and 1.0 fWAR. He’s been the best power bat in baseball this month.
What’s stood out most to me is how well-rounded his development has been. His percentile ranks are strong across the board: xSLG (.479) is in the 71st percentile, Barrel% (12.9%) in the 78th, Bat Speed (74.2 MPH) in the 83rd, and both Avg EV (92.2 MPH) and Hard-Hit% (51.5%) are in the 88th and 90th percentiles, respectively. He's also shown significant year-to-year jumps: his EV is up from 88.2 to 92.2 MPH, SLG from .417 to .522, wOBA from .274 to .365, and Hard-Hit% from 39.6% to 51.5%. His walk rate has increased to 4.9%, while his strikeout rate has dropped to 26.7%. Goodman’s biggest strides have come against non-fastballs. He’s raised his SLG on breaking balls from .305 to .541, his wOBA from .194 to .367, and even added 1.5 MPH to his EV. Against offspeed, he’s hitting .390 with a 10.4 MPH jump in EV, from 83.7 to 94.1 MPH. A jump this big isn’t something you see very often, if at all.
His batted-ball profile has also taken a step forward. LD% is up to 19.6% from 15.4%, his Hard-Hit% is up to 43.3%, and he's pulling the ball more (46.9%) while maintaining a strong fly ball rate. Even though his Ideal Attack Angle% dropped from 69.9% to 60.0%, he's taken 125 more competitive swings already (405--530), which shows how dialed in his approach is. His Ideal Contact Rate is at a career-high 41.8%, and Ideal Plate Appearance% is also up from 21.9% to 28.3%. His Fast Swing% has decreased each year (55.7%--50.6%--41.3%), but it’s clearly part of a more sustainable and mature swing path. Goodman has also increased his Max EV to a career-best 116.2 MPH and owns a career-high Pull Air% at 22.2%. He’s not just swinging harder, he’s swinging with more of an approach. Lastly, I wanted to highlight his massive improvement against right-handed pitching. In 2024, he hit just .177 with a .599 OPS and 50 wRC+ against RHP. This year? He’s batting .300/.338/.545 with an .883 OPS, .245 ISO, and a 131 wRC+. That’s a huge turnaround. And he's been flexible defensively too, playing four different positions plus DH. In a season where Colorado might end up making history for all the wrong reasons, Hunter Goodman has quietly emerged as one of the most exciting power bats in the game.