Rockies’ Hunter Goodman thriving behind the plate — and emerging as All-Star Game candidate

Hunter Goodman’s career path was murky.

In his heart, he knew he was a catcher. The Rockies knew he possessed raw power, but were unsure about his position.

Last season, he played left field, right field, first base, and catcher, and was an occasional designated hitter. He showed promise but didn’t thrive.

The 25-year-old and the Rockies reached a crossroads during the offseason, deciding he would be a full-time catcher.

Wise move.

The Rockies’ 2021 fourth-round draft choice has not only become their everyday catcher, but he’s on a path that might lead to Atlanta for the All-Star Game on July 15.

“I think we are seeing the player he is capable of being,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “I am so thrilled for Hunter. You love to see a player get a real shot and take advantage of it.”

Last season, all signs indicated that crouching behind the plate should be Goodman’s permanent position. In 70 games, he hit just .190, but did launch 13 home runs, and five of them came in September when he started getting regular playing time at catcher. He broke out with a three-hit, two-homer, seven-RBI game on Sept. 13 against the Cubs. His grand slam was the game-winner.

Naturally, the club noticed. Perhaps Goodman could withstand his sweatshop duties as a catcher while still producing the power its languid offense so desperately needs. So far, so good.

Goodman entered the weekend series with the Mets at Coors Field leading the Rockies in almost every offensive category: batting average (.281), home runs (10), doubles (13, tied with Tyler Freeman), OPS (.819) and RBIs (36).

In Colorado’s recent three-game sweep in Miami — Colorado’s first sweep in 57 series — he went off, hitting 7 for 13 with three homers, two doubles, a triple and five RBIs. Entering the weekend, Goodman’s 63 hits led all major league catchers, while his homers, RBIs and 110 total bases led all National League catchers.

Goodman’s hot streak was encouraging because it showed he could make in-season adjustments. In the 10 games before he got to Florida, Goodman hit .147 with no home runs and a 34.2% strikeout rate. The catcher acknowledged that he was pressing, trying to do too much to spark the offense as Colorado’s historic run of losses mounted.

Before arriving in Miami, he worked overtime in the hitting cage in Chicago and New York. He wasn’t searching for power. Instead, he concentrated on regaining his rhythm.

“I moved my hands a little lower, a little forward, just trying to keep my upper traps and shoulders nice and relaxed,” Goodman said. “It helps with my bat path and keeps it a little smoother. I’ll just try to keep that going.”

As for the theory that catching would sap his power and offensive production, Goodman, who’s started 33 of Colorado’s 62 games behind the plate this season, has a counterargument.

“Most days when I catch, the stuff I’m doing behind the plate is more important than the at-bats,” he said. “I’m thinking about working with the pitcher, I’m thinking about the team. It takes the pressure off me in the batter’s box. I’m not as worried about always coming through in those moments.

“I’m more relaxed because I feel like I know that when I’m doing my job behind the plate, then the hitting is a bonus. That’s kind of how I look at it.”

The statistics back up Goodman’s theory. In 214 big-league plate appearances as a catcher, he’s slashed .291/.313/.562 with a 6.5% home run rate and 23.8% strikeout rate. As a DH, he’s slashed .201/.272/.396  (4.1% home run rate, 28.6% K rate) in 147 plate appearances. As a right fielder, his line is .170/.229./310 (1.8% home run rate, 30.1% K rate) in 109 plate appearances.

This season, he’s slashing .313/.336/.560 with eight doubles and eight home runs when playing catcher (140 plate appearances). As a DH, he’s slashing .239/.323/.398 with two homers and 12 RBIs (99 plate appearances).

According to Daron Schoenrock, Goodman’s coach at the University of Memphis, the mental and physical grind of catching has long fueled Goodman’s hitting.

“He said the same things to me during his junior season,” Schoenrock recalled. “I remember that as a true freshman, he was starting for us. He would start in left field or right field, and in between at-bats, I would see that he would stress so much. Even though he’s a pretty calm person, he had too much time to think about the previous at-bat.

“It built up, and the crescendo to his next at-bat was enormous because when he failed, he felt like he had to repeat that at-bat or make the next one better. But with catching, he had to go do his job, and it kind of got his mind off the AB.”

What’s more, Schoenrock said Goodman’s study of the strike zone turned him into a better hitter.

“He has really strong cognitive skills behind the plate,” the coach said. “When Hunter would come to the plate, he would often swing at pitches, or take pitches, based on the umpire’s strike zone that day. He was able to translate that. As a junior, when he became our regular catcher, it enhanced his ability to handle the strike zone — as a hitter.”

There was never any doubt about Goodman’s power. As a sophomore at Memphis, he put together a legendary three-game series against Western Illinois. Over that weekend, he hit four home runs, including three grand slams — one a day from Friday to Sunday. He drove in 22 runs, capped by an 11-RBI performance on Sunday, which was both a Memphis and American Athletic Conference single-game record.

“We first noticed Hunter’s power during batting practice his freshman year,” Schoenrock said. “Balls that he hit, versus balls everybody else hit, were just different. Even his routine flyballs were carrying more. He has that innate ability.

“We weren’t tracking launch angle at the time; we were just watching with our eyes. As we got the equipment to collect data — we got Rapsodo (a baseball flight monitor that tracks spin rate) during Hunter’s junior year — we could see the numbers to see why he had such power.”

While it was Goodman’s dad, Robert, who served as his longtime youth coach and hitting instructor, it was Goodman’s mom, Stephanie, who passed on the power swing to their son.

“I never saw my mom play, but from everything my family says, I got all of my power from her,” Goodman said. “She had a really good college career.”

Stephanie Goodman was a softball star at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tenn., where she was a three-time all-region selection and the 1997 Trans South Conference player of the year while belting 45 career homers.

“Hunter swings the bat like his momma does,” Robert Goodman told The Post in 2023 shortly before their son made his major league debut. “She swung it like a grown man, she really did. And she could hammer homers just like Hunter.”

According to Statcast, Goodman’s average exit velocity this season is 91.7 mph, more than 3 mph faster than the major league average (88.5). His hardest hit ball came off his bat at 116.2 mph, ranking 15th this season.

“Everyone on this team knows that Hunter’s got off-the-chart power, you can hear it when he connects,” said Jacob Stallings, the Rockies’ veteran whom Goodman supplanted as the starting catcher. “The next step for Hunter is to keep improving behind the plate. He’s getting more comfortable calling games. I think his biggest improvement has been blocking pitches. He’s worked really hard on that in spring training, and it’s paying off.”

Still, Goodman is a work in progress. His six errors are the most among National League catchers, and his 15.6% caught-stealing rate (five in 32 attempts) lags behind the league average of 23.6.

“I think I’ve improved on a lot of things,” he said. “At the same time, I think there are a lot of things I can get better at behind the dish. I’ve concentrated a lot on the throwing aspect, just being more accurate.”

Schaeffer believes Goodman has tremendous upside.

“I’m happy that ‘Goody’ got an opportunity to be an everyday player at one position, specifically catcher,” Schaeffer said. “There were always good reports from the minor leagues on his defensive ability.”

Goodman is on pace to hit 22 homers, which would rank second in Rockies history for a catcher, trailing the 28 that Wilin Rosario mashed as a rookie in 2012. The difference is that Goodman is already a better catcher, with a chance to improve. Plus, Goodman, who was a skilled wide receiver and punter at Arlington High School in Tennessee, is a better athlete. He runs well for a catcher and can leg out hustle doubles.

Schoenrock and Goodman have remained in touch. They text each other and see each other when Goodman returns to his native Tennessee during the offseason to work out and go deer hunting.

“What a joy it was to coach Hunter and what a joy to be around,” Schonerock said. “His work ethic is off the charts. I’m so happy for him. I follow all of his games.

“But to be honest with you, his breakout is happening a little quicker than what we thought. I had a feeling Hunter was going to play in the big leagues because of his power. I didn’t know if it would take five years or even longer. You just never know. But ever since he was called up, he’s just kept getting better and better.”

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