Tom Goodwin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tom Goodwin |
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Goodwin with the Mets in 2017
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| Atlanta Braves – No. 88 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Center fielder | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born: July 27, 1968 Fresno, California, U.S. |
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| debut | ||||||||||||||||||||
| September 1, 1991, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | ||||||||||||||||||||
| September 30, 2004, for the Chicago Cubs | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .268 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 24 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 284 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Stolen bases | 369 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | ||||||||||||||||||||
As player
As coach
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| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Thomas Jones Goodwin, born on July 27, 1968, is an American baseball coach and a former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 14 seasons, mostly as a center fielder, from 1991 to 2004. He was known for his speed and played for several teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers and Kansas City Royals. Today, he is the first base coach for the Atlanta Braves.
Contents
Playing Baseball: Tom Goodwin's Journey
Tom Goodwin started his baseball journey in his hometown. He went to Central High School in Fresno, California. After high school, he played college baseball at Fresno State University. He was a very good college player, earning the title of All-American twice. In 1989, The Sporting News also named him to their college All-America team.
Drafted and Olympic Gold
The Pittsburgh Pirates first chose Goodwin in the 1986 MLB draft. However, he decided not to sign with them at that time. In 1988, he joined the United States national baseball team. This team won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. After the Olympics, in 1989, the Los Angeles Dodgers picked him in the first round of the MLB draft. This time, he signed with the team.
Climbing to the Major Leagues
Goodwin spent only three seasons playing in Minor League Baseball before he made it to the big leagues. During his time in the minor leagues, he was incredibly fast. He stole at least 48 stolen bases in each of those seasons. He was recognized as an all-star in different minor leagues. He made his first appearance in Major League Baseball on September 1, 1991, when he was 23 years old.
Major League Highlights
Over his 14-year career in the major leagues, Tom Goodwin was known for his speed. He stole a total of 369 bases. He played for many teams, including the Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, and Chicago Cubs. His best year for stolen bases was 1996, when he stole 66 bases for the Royals. In 1998, he had a great batting average of .290 with the Rangers.
In 2000, Goodwin hit six home runs. Two of these were grand slams, which means he hit a home run with all bases loaded. Another one was an inside-the-park home run, where he ran around all the bases before the ball was returned to the infield. He also played in the 2002 World Series with the San Francisco Giants. The Giants lost to the Anaheim Angels in seven games. On August 20, 2003, he got his 1000th career hit.
Goodwin's last season in MLB was 2004. After that, he played one more year in an independent league in 2005 for the Atlantic City Surf. In his MLB career, he played 1288 games. He had a .268 batting average, hit 24 home runs, and had 284 runs batted in (RBIs). He was also a very good outfielder, with a .991 fielding percentage.
Life After Playing: Coaching Career
After he stopped playing baseball, Tom Goodwin became a coach. He managed a team called the Lewisville Lizards. He also coached for the Lowell Spinners, a minor league team connected to the Boston Red Sox. He worked as an instructor for outfielders and base runners in the Red Sox's minor league system.
Coaching in MLB
On October 29, 2011, Goodwin became the first base coach for the New York Mets. He stayed with the Mets until 2017. On November 2, 2017, he returned to the Red Sox organization. He became the major league first base coach for the Red Sox under their new manager, Alex Cora. Goodwin was part of the Red Sox coaching staff when they won the 2018 World Series.
During the 2021 season, Goodwin missed some games because he was a close contact with people who tested positive for a certain illness. Near the end of that season, Ramón Vázquez took over as the Red Sox's first base coach. This was because MLB required all staff in the dugout and on the field during the playoffs to meet certain health guidelines, and Goodwin did not. On October 25, 2021, after the Red Sox's season ended, the team let Goodwin go.
Goodwin then spent two seasons working as an instructor in the Atlanta Braves' minor league system. In 2024, he was promoted to first base coach for the Braves' major league team.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
