With sharp eye for strike zone, catcher Hunter Goodman powers Rockies and wins ABS challenges

DENVER (AP) — Hunter Goodman certainly has a sharp eye for the strike zone.

That applies not only at the plate, where the Colorado Rockies catcher is crushing pitches of late, but behind it as well in winning Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS) challenges with the best of them.

Goodman has 27 homers this season, tied with Hall of Famer Larry Walker (2001) for the most by a Rockies player before the All-Star break. Colorado still has nine games remaining before the break, too, meaning more chances for Goodman to slip on that fake-fur purple coat the Rockies trot out for home run celebrations in the dugout.

Along with his power surge, Goodman's 45 ABS challenge wins rank fifth among major league catchers. Goodman is building a compelling case on power numbers alone — he's hitting .246 with 50 RBIs — to be an All-Star for a second straight season. Maybe even a possible Home Run Derby participant, too.

"It would be very entertaining. He’d hit a lot of homers,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said of his catcher appearing in the competition. “He wouldn’t get tired out. He’s built like a machine.”

Homers away from Coors Field

Goodman's power is not just a Coors Field creation, either. Of his 27 homers, 18 have been hit away from the hitter-friendly ballpark. Walker has the team record for most road homers in a single season with 29 in 1997. Nolan Arenado (2015) and Todd Helton (2001) are next with 22.

“When Goody's on the fastball, all things are well,” said Schaeffer, whose team beat San Francisco 15-3 on Friday night and with a sweep of the Giants this weekend can escape the basement of the NL West.

Goodman showed his prodigious power in Minnesota on June 27, when he slugged three homers that traveled a combined 1,257 feet, according to Statcast projections. His long-ball barrage included one that wound up in the third deck at Target Field.

To make the moment even more meaningful, his father, Robert, happened to travel in for the game from Memphis, Tennessee.

“Pretty awesome,” said Goodman, taken in the fourth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of the University of Memphis.

Goodman on a home run surge

He remains on a roll in the batter's box, with six homers in his past seven games. His 27 homers put him in some elite company among catchers. Since 1933, the only other players at the position who've hit that many before the All-Star break are Cal Raleigh (38 last season) and Johnny Bench (28 in 1970).

Both those catchers played in that season's All-Star Game.

“It would be really cool” to make another All-Star team, said Goodman, who won an NL Silver Slugger award last season after hitting .278 with 31 homers and 91 RBIs. “Last year, I learned a lot, got to meet a lot of guys that have been really good in this game for a long time. So it definitely would be cool to go back.”

ABS challenges

The only thing more locked in than his swing are his challenges. He's been reliable with picking and choosing when to tap his head to take a second look at a pitch. He's flipped a pitch called a ball into strike three a total of 15 times, which is tied for second-most among catchers.

“It's honestly awesome that he has such a good eye with that, because obviously my point of view, my head's moving around, could be a little bit emotional,” Rockies right-hander Tanner Gordon explained. “He's got the best point of view. He's been great at it all year."

His secret?

“Knowing your pitchers and how their ball enters the strike zone,” Goodman said. “That's a huge part of it.”

Next on his agenda is trying to replicate what he did in June. His 13 homers last month were the most in the majors. He's just the second Rockies player to leave the yard at least 13 times in a calendar month, joining Troy Tulowitzki (15 homers in September 2010).

“A lot of guys tweak things in the cage every now and then,” said Goodman, who's taken up golf in his spare time and has a nine handicap. “This year, I feel like I’ve had better plans in the (batter's) box for the most part. I've been able to capitalize on that.”

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