1975 Draft Spotlight: Danny Goodwin

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Danny Goodwin made draft history as the No. 1 pick in two different drafts: in 1971, by the Chicago White Sox as a high school selection from Peoria, Ill., and in 1975, by the California Angels as a college product from Southern University.
As an elite catcher with power potential who had stood up to scouting scrutiny, Goodwin appeared destined for stardom. The Angels envisioned a player they would build their franchise around.

But it never came to pass.

After signing with the Angels for a draft-record $150,000 bonus, Goodwin was sent to their Double-A affiliate in El Paso. Veteran catching instructor Vern Hoscheit was assigned to get him ready for the big leagues as quickly as possible. On one occasion, Hoscheit thought Goodwin was malingering, and demanded he throw hard for a full 20 minutes.

“I hadn’t been playing for almost two months,” Goodwin said. “Still the Angels wanted me to go through all kinds of drills right away. They wanted me to throw every day before games. I should have taken it slow. It was probably my fault as much as anybody’s, but I was young and I wanted to play. I ended up hurting my arm. But it was just a sore arm. There was no operation, no damage or anything like that. The following year, I got it together again, but by then they had given up on me as a catcher.”

The Angels never saw the raw arm strength Goodwin had showcased in college. “He was consistently inaccurate with his throws,” Angels scouting director Walter Shannon said. “You could see there was something wrong. Other teams could see it, too, and they began to run on him. He was just not able to throw anymore. He always could hit, and for a catcher he could run OK. But he was just an ordinary catcher once he couldn’t throw.”

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Goodwin excelled in all areas of his game in four years at Southern. With a powerful lefthanded stroke, he hit .394 with 20 home runs and 166 RBIs in 169 games, and was equally valued for his skills behind the plate.
“He was a legitimate No. 1 pick,” Shannon said. “He could hit and he always had a good arm in high school and college. There was no question he was the player we were going to sign. We determined early on that we were going to take him.”

When Goodwin retired from baseball after the 1986 season—his final year spent in Japan—he had never been a catcher in a major league game, not even for one pitch. He played in the majors in parts of seven of his 11 seasons as a pro, but in 252 games (150 as a designated hitter) his batting average was just .236; he also had only 13 home runs.

Goodwin always was a tease, though, because he hit well in the minors throughout his career: .313 with 129 homers and 637 RBIs in 860 games. The Angels were especially intrigued in 1978, when they called him up for a third time. His .360 average for El Paso was the best in the Texas League, and he had drilled 26 homers.

Goodwin was still catching on occasion, but seeing an increasing amount of time at first base. By then, his days as a catcher clearly were numbered, as Texas League baserunners were successful on all 26 stolen-base attempts against him.
The Angels, though, weren’t overly enthralled with him at first base, either. “He never had the agility to play that position,” Shannon said. “His lack of agility and slowness afoot showed up more than ever at first base.”
Following the 1978 season, the Angels traded Goodwin to the Minnesota Twins.

“It’s always remained a mystery to me why he threw so well in high school and college, then couldn’t throw in the pros,” Shannon said. “Looking back, I guess we made a mistake, but I was sure that he was going to be a major league catcher for a long time.”