Danny Goodwin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Danny Goodwin |
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| Designated hitter / First baseman | |||
| Born: September 2, 1953 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: September 3, 1975, for the California Angels | |||
| NPB: April 4, 1986, for the Nankai Hawks | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: July 7, 1982, for the Oakland Athletics | |||
| NPB: October 8, 1986, for the Nankai Hawks | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .236 | ||
| Home runs | 13 | ||
| Runs batted in | 81 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .231 | ||
| Home runs | 8 | ||
| Runs batted in | 26 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Danny Kay Goodwin (born September 2, 1953) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman and designated hitter from 1975 to 1982. He also played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan with the Nankai Hawks in 1986. Danny Goodwin is famous for being the only baseball player ever to be chosen first overall in the MLB draft two separate times!
Contents
A Unique Draft Story
Danny Goodwin was first picked as the very first player in the 1971 Major League Baseball draft. He was a catcher straight out of Peoria Central High School. But he decided not to sign with the Chicago White Sox, the team that picked him.
Why Danny Didn't Sign
Danny chose to go to Southern University instead. He really wanted to get a college education. Also, the White Sox offered him less money than he hoped for, somewhere between $50,000 and $80,000.
College Baseball Star
At Southern University, Danny was an amazing player. He hit for a high average of .394, with 20 home runs and 166 runs batted in. He was named an All-America player three times. In 1975, he was even named the Sporting News College Player of the Year.
Drafted First Again!
After his great college career, the California Angels picked him first overall in the 1975 Major League Baseball draft. This time, he signed with them for a record $150,000. This made him the only player in history to be drafted first overall twice!
Playing for the California Angels
The Angels wanted Danny to play in the major leagues quickly. They sent him to a minor league team called the El Paso Diablos in 1975. He played well there, hitting .275.
First Taste of the Majors
Later in 1975, Danny was called up to the California Angels. He got his first major league hit that year. In 1976, he continued to play in the minor leagues, hitting over .300 for two different teams.
Reaching Triple-A
In 1977, Danny played in Triple-A for the first time with the Salt Lake City Gulls. He hit .305 with 10 home runs. This earned him another call-up to the Angels in July. On July 29, he hit his first career home run off a famous pitcher named Fergie Jenkins.
A Strong 1978 Season
Danny went back to the El Paso Diablos in 1978 and had a fantastic year. He hit .360 with 25 home runs and 89 runs batted in. He was called back to the major leagues in August. He played well, hitting .283 with two home runs. After this season, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins. Even though he was a catcher in college, the Angels mostly used him as a designated hitter or pinch hitter.
Time with the Minnesota Twins
When Danny joined the Minnesota Twins, they changed his main position to first baseman. He had his best major league season in 1979 with the Twins.
Career Highs
In 1979, Danny started the season in Triple-A again. But he joined the Twins midway through the year. In half a season, he hit .289 with five home runs and 27 runs batted in. These were all career bests for him in the major leagues.
Later Seasons with Twins
In 1980 and 1981, Danny didn't play as much. He appeared in 55 games in 1980 and 59 games in 1981. He was released by the Twins after the 1981 season.
Playing for the Oakland A's and Beyond
Danny then signed with the Oakland Athletics for the 1982 season. He split his time between the A's and their Triple-A team, the Tacoma Tigers. He played very well for Tacoma, hitting .301 with 11 home runs.
Final Professional Season
Danny played two more seasons in Tacoma, hitting well, but he never returned to the major leagues. His last professional season was in 1986, when he played for the Nankai Hawks in Japan.
Life After Baseball
After his playing career, Danny Goodwin worked for the Atlanta Braves baseball team. He helped with community relations and developed programs for children who needed help. In 2011, Danny was honored by being inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. He was the first player from a historically black university to receive this honor. While in college, Danny also studied zoology.
Images for kids
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Danny Goodwin in his Minnesota Twins uniform.
