CHICAGO – For the better part of a decade, Detroit Tigers fans could turn on the television all summer and watch a familiar cast of characters compete in the Old English D. This season, the roster looks much different.
There's no Justin Verlander, Ian Kinsler or J.D. Martinez. Even familiar faces such as Alex Avila, Anibal Sanchez and Andrew Romine are gone. Thursday's lineup included relatively new Tigers such as Leonys Martin, Jeimer Candelario, Mikie Mahtook and Dixon Machado.
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None of those players have been regulars on the team for more than a year, but they're the regulars now.
Thursday night's comeback
One of the Tigers' newest players was the hero in Thursday night's comeback victory. Niko Goodrum wasn't in the starting lineup, but subbed in at first base in the second inning after Miguel Cabrera injured himself running the bases.
Goodrum came into the game 2-9 on the young season, but he provided a huge boost. He recorded the Tigers' first stolen base of the season after reaching on an error in the third inning, and picked up a base hit in his next at-bat.
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When the Tigers were down three runs with two outs in the top of the ninth, Goodrum smacked his first career home run, pulling the Tigers within a run of the White Sox. Detroit would tie the game two batters later and, eventually, win it in the 10th inning.
The Tigers aren't going to compete for a playoff spot this season, but it was still an impressive comeback win orchestrated by Ron Gardenhire's young players.
Who is Niko Goodrum?
Goodrum is only 26 years old, but he's already been in professional baseball for eight years. He was drafted out of Fayetteville High School in Georgia by the Minnesota Twins as an 18-year-old prospect in the second round of the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft.
He was a midlevel prospect for most of his eight years in the Twins' minor-league system, appearing on their top-20 prospects list at No. 18 in 2013. Here's what the MLB.com scouting report said about Goodrum at the time:
"Goodrum is a perfect example of a high risk/high reward type prospect. The raw tools are undeniable; whether he can put them to consistent use remains to be seen. He has a lot of work to do at the plate -- he didn't exactly light the world on fire in his performance in the Midwest League in 2013 -- but there are the skills to perhaps be an average hitter with average power. He has a strong arm that works fine at shortstop, but it's unclear what his long-term defensive home is. The future fielding grade is based on him at third base, though the Twins have Travis Harrison at the same level and Miguel Sano above, and many feel Goodrum will end up in the outfield. If his bat can develop as hoped, the organization will find a spot for him when the time comes."
In 674 games in the minors, Goodrum was a decent offensive player, posting a .712 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) with a .250 batting average, 42 home runs, 123 doubles, 299 walks and 638 strikeouts. He also stole 122 bases in 154 attempts.
Most of Goodrum's minor-league success came as an on-base guy. He posted a .333 on-base percentage compared to a weaker .379 slugging percentage. His ability to draw walks was a plus, but a lack of extra-base power held him from reaching the big leagues earlier than age 25.
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Last season, Goodrum got his first taste of MLB at-bats as a September call-up. He went 1-17 with a walk and 10 strikeouts. His only hit was a single against the Padres in a 16-0 win.
How he got to Detroit
Goodrum elected to test the free-agency waters on Nov. 6 when the Twins outrighted him to their Triple-A affiliate Rochester Red Wings. He was signed a few weeks later, on Nov. 25, by the Tigers, who gave him a minor-league deal and invited him to spring training.
Goodrum was officially placed on the Toledo Mud Hens roster on Jan. 30, but he earned a spot on the major-league roster during the spring.
It seems like at least one spring training star comes out of nowhere each season, and Goodrum was that guy in Lakeland. He showed uncharacteristic power, hitting four homers and four doubles in 45 at-bats, elevating his spring slugging percentage to .644.
Goodrum was more aggressive at the dish, drawing just three walks in 22 games. He struck out 14 times, but the power surge was worth the swings and misses.
When spring training ended, Goodrum had an impressive .971 OPS, and the Tigers selected his contract on March 28.
This season
The Tigers have played six games this season, and Goodrum has played in three of them. In two of those games, the 26-year-old has recorded multiple hits, including an extra-base hit. He went 0-4 in the team's first win against the Royals.
Overall, Goodrum is 4-14 this season with a homer, a double, three RBI, three strikeouts and no walks. He's still the only Tigers player with a stolen base.
While he showed some power potential during the 2016 season in the minors, Goodrum has almost no history of this type of production, so it's likely just a hot start for the Tigers' utility infielder. But after a hot spring and a nice first week, Goodrum is a player to keep an eye on moving forward.
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