FanPost

Player Outlook: Niko Goodrum

2019 Season Recap:

In 2019, Niko Goodrum was one of the only bright spots for the Detroit Tigers during a very bleak season. He slashed .248/.322/.421 along with 12 homers and 45 RBI. Niko was also one of the Tigers only speed threats last season, being the only guy to steal more than nine bases, tallying 12 while being caught three times. In June, he was awarded the Tigers 2019 Heart and Hustle award, for the passion he plays the game with. When you mention Niko Goodrum you cannot ignore his defense. He was the ultimate utility man last season for Detroit, almost an upgrade of Andrew Romine from years prior. Getting most of his innings at short and second, he also played, get ready... left, center, right, first, third, and even some designated hitter. This made him a very valuable player for Gardy as he could stick him anywhere on the lineup card knowing he would get some solid defense. Goodrum also, had arguably the best game by a single Tiger all year on May 31st in Atlanta. Playing in SunTrust Park about 30 minutes from where he grew up, Niko had a monster day going 5-5 from the dish with two home-runs, a double, and a pair of singles while scoring four times himself leading the Tigs to an 8-2 victory. This performance brought an end to the slump he had been struggling with through most of May. 90.0.jpeg

Niko Goodrum points to his family after his second monster home-run of the night against the Braves.

2020 Season Preview:

This upcoming year for Niko could be one of two things; a "prove-it" year showing that he deserves to stay and play in Detroit once the rebuild is complete, or a small regression from a breakout 2019. A regression year could lead (and/or force) other players to step up like possibly Candelario, Jones, or Stewart. However, him improving off of last year could show Avila and Gardenhire that he should be a piece that stays in the lineup in '21, '22 etc. I like to stay on the optimistic side especially in the off-season so I think Goodrum will show strides of improvement off of a statement sophomore season. Hopefully he can get his average in the .260's range and increase the amount of guys he drives in. Another thing that would be great to see is cutting down on strikeouts. Niko struck out 138 times in 423 at-bats, which while it isn't terrible, it certainly is not ideal. In the field Goodrum will most likely see the majority of his innings at shortstop with guys like Cron, and Schoop manning first and second. But, it still is very possible that he moves all around this year again, going to third or the outfield for certain games or series'. For a quick stat projection I'll say in about 450 at-bats Niko will hit .262, going yard 16 times while knocking in 59 runners. Goodrum will be a deciding factor in whether the Tigers will see any sort of success this upcoming year.

Drop your Niko Goodrum stat projections in the comments below!

Go Tigers!

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the <em>Bless You Boys</em> writing staff.