GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Receiving an All-Star Game invitation last year made Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman hungry for more.
In his first season as a No. 1 catcher, Goodman slashed .278/.323/.520 with 31 home runs and 91 RBIs.
“When I got home this offseason, you want to reflect on the good stuff, but if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse,” Goodman said. “The main things we’re talking about were swing decisions. I chased a lot last year, even in a good season.”
The down-and-away pitch -- usually a breaking ball -- often leads to bad swing decisions.
The art of hitting, however, is making a decision between the ball that is in a hitter’s zone and one that is slightly off from it. It’s an area where Goodman can solidify his stardom.
Last season, Goodman fashioned a .783 slugging percentage on pitches in the strike zone. He ranked 18th among the 465 players with at least 50 batted balls. The graphic below shows that Goodman was elite on pitches in the middle and down and in. He also swatted pitches higher than those hot zones, although not as effectively.
“I’m working on trying to work on hunting a zone and being a little more stubborn in that zone," Goodman said. "Also, some of the fastballs toward the top rail, I’ve struggled with in the past. I’m trying to be more on those.
“If you look at any hitter when they’re going good, they’re getting their pitch to hit and they’re putting those in play and hitting those hard. Most of the time when guys aren’t going good, when you’re in a slump or struggling, it’s usually pitch selection -- swinging at bad pitches. It’s one of those things that’s hard to train, but through the course of the season, I can get better.”
Goodman believes the use of the ABS challenge system during the regular season for the first time could help with swing decisions.
“With the ABS this year, the top of the zone is not quite as high as it typically was,” Goodman said. “So, I’m trying to figure out where the top of my zone is and be able to hit those pitches. Obviously, it’s easier said than done.”
Goodman discusses his hitting strategy with the patience he wants to display in the batter’s box.
“With stuff like chase rate, if you can get 2-3 percent better a year, that’s a huge jump,” Goodman said. “That’s going to help in the long run with seeing more pitches in an at-bat, or just seeing better pitches. I don’t need some huge jump -- just a few percentage points, then I’ll go from there.”