Nick Goodwin is one step closer to dreams with 2023 MLB Draft
Editor’s note: The Toronto Blue Jays selected SS Nick Goodwin with the No. 214 pick in the seventh round of the 2023 MLB Draft on July 10.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (BVM) – Nick Goodwin has cemented himself as a Kansas State great over the past three seasons. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound shortstop has a .273 career average with 33 home runs and 138 RBIs in his time in Manhattan.
He is now viewed as a very interesting name for the upcoming MLB draft.
Kansas State fell behind 7-1, but after back-to-back-to-back home runs by Kaelen Culpepper, Brady Day, and Nick Goodwin, it now trails 7-4. This is a really pretty and in-sync operation from Goodwin who will likely be a top-2 round Draft pick. pic.twitter.com/4uWv7dWil8
— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) May 13, 2023
Goodwin has unique pop for his position and manages to get on base at a high clip. He is ranked as the No. 66 player in the draft class according to Joe Doyle of Future Star Series.
This is not an unfamiliar situation for the Goodwin family, however.
Nick’s father played in the Royals’ system while his uncle played in the Orioles’ organization. Soon, Nick will get his own chance at professional baseball.
“It’s something I’ve grown up around my whole life,” Nick said.
Goodwin was not a highly sought-after recruit coming out of high school, but he was hoping to find a home where he could make an instant impact. He did just that at Kansas State.
In his first year on campus, he hit .277 with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs with 14 stolen bases. Goodwin was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.
Nick Goodwin just blasted a go ahead 3 run bomb for @KStateBSB to take an 8-5 lead over Texas pic.twitter.com/80lA9e8a5t
— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) April 15, 2022
“That’s when I started realizing that this could be legit and that I could do this,” Goodwin said.
Now the Wildcat shortstop is just over a month away from likely being a high selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, but he still continues to take it day by day.
“It’s not something that I want to think about 24/7,” Goodwin said. “It’s definitely in the back of my mind, but I’m just trying to take it one step at a time.”
Goodwin, who was once ranked as the No. 295 shortstop in the country by Perfect Game coming out of high school, has worked and worked to put himself in this type of position.
NICK GOODWIN ARE YOU SERIOUS⁉️#KStateBSB pic.twitter.com/mAwc1CNGUQ
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) March 25, 2023
“I’ve been playing this game since I was four years old, so this has been a dream of mine to play professional baseball,” Goodwin said. “If you don’t love the game, you’re not going to succeed. It’s a tough game, so you have to love it, you have to want to do it and you’re gonna have to want to work at it every day. If not, it’s gonna be a tough journey and you’re probably not going to end up where you want to be.”
Goodwin is inching closer and closer to where he wants to be, and the MLB draft will be a monumental leap in his ensuing journey.
