Hunter Goodman is the statistical anomaly to the Coors Field bump.
The Rockies catcher’s 26 home runs thus far have put him in rare company in franchise history while making a strong case for his second All-Star Game.
Only Phillies’ designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (30) has hit more homers this big-league season, and only Hall of Famer Larry Walker had hit more homers for the Rockies through 85 games than Goodman entering Tuesday. The only other guy to hit 26 homers in 85 games in purple and black? Todd Helton.
But here’s where it gets weird: Only eight of Goodman’s dingers have come in the thin air of Coors Field. He’s mostly donned the resplendent faux-fur purple coat that the Rockies break out for home-run celebrations on the road. He got to rock it four times in last weekend while teeing off against Twins pitching, including a three-homer game in an 8-5 Rockies’ win last Saturday.
Of Walker’s 27 homers through 85 games in 2001, 14 came on the road. Helton hit just 11 road homers that same season through 85 games while smacking 15 at home. Goodman’s 18 road homers ahead of the All-Star break are the most in franchise history, breaking a previous record set by Walker in 1997.
Even weirder: Goodman hit more homers on the road last season — 18 to 13 — when he launched 31 and made his first All-Star Game.
So much for the narrative that Coors Field inflates power stats.
When asked to explain his unusual home-road splits on Tuesday ahead of the second game of a four-game series with Miami, Goodman didn’t have any deep thoughts.
“I don’t really have an answer for it right now,” Goodman said. “I’d love to perform at home. I’d love to. As the season goes on, I think it will get better. I try not to worry about it. As long as I’m doing my job, it’ll work itself out.”
What has worked out is that pitchers have continued to give him good pitches to hit, Goodman said. Itap a modest way of saying that he’s been in a groove.
“The last few weeks I’ve gotten a lot of good pitches to hit,” said Goodman, whose 13 homers in June led the majors. “I’ve been able to capitalize on those. It goes through spurts where there’s some weeks, you’re not getting a lot of good pitches. And there’s other weeks where you’re getting a good bit of good pitches to hit. And I’ve been able to capitalize on those recently.”
Goodman is just the fourth primary catcher to hit at least 25 homers ahead of the All-Star break. The other three are Cal Raleigh (38, 2025), Iván Rodríguez (26, 2000), and Johnny Bench (28, 1970), all of whom were All-Stars.
Goodman shrugged off the idea that, as a catcher, he has a better sense of how pitchers want to attack him. The only thing he can control is how he attacks pitching.
“There’s a lot that goes into it,” he said. “Some of the stuff I’ve been doing in the cage has helped. Every day is a different plan of attack for whatever pitcher is on the mound. Guys throw different pitches, attack you different ways. You’ve got to know how they’re going to attack you and figure that out and look for a good zone for you to see the ball in.”
