Former Washington National Brian Goodwin has become that player

Former Washington Nationals outfielder Brian Goodwin has become that guy. He was once a first round draft pick, back in the 2011 draft, who made a top prospect list or two. Now he’s, that guy. You know the guy, the Nationals have one in their minor league system. His name is Gerardo Parra.

A vagabond player, has glove-will travel.

Not long ago Goodwin was hitting 21 doubles in limited time for the Nationals, as a speedy player who was almost a lock to stay on the roster as a fourth outfielder. With more playing time and steady results he was going to go to spring training and compete for a starting job.

Former Nationals outfielder Brian Goodwin is on the move again, this time signing a contract with the Chicago White Sox.

Then, there wasn’t a place on the roster for him in Washington. A numbers crunch. A casualty on an underperforming team. Traded to the Kansas City Royals for a minor league pitcher no one had heard of.

Goodwin got off to a hot start. Hitting .440 through his first seven games, maybe KC was going to be the place he’d get playing time and come into his own. He finished out the season with a modest batting average, and went into camp the following spring thinking he’d have a roster spot come regular season time. Then he was waived.

The Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim pounced. Goodwin was hitting .300 after 48 games and with some pop in the bat. This was his chance. Finally, he was able to prove himself. In 136 games he hit 17 home runs and headed into the offseason ready to contribute to a team which featured baseball’s best player in Mike Trout.

He’d end the following season with a new team, the Cincinnati Reds, traded from the Angels at the trade deadline. By offseason, he was a free agent.

In the slow moving market post pandemic, Goodwin was not able to secure a guaranteed contract, though he was signed to a minors pact with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He failed to make the team out of spring training and opted out of his contract when it became apparent he was not in the future plans of the Buccos.

So here we are, with the news Brain Goodwin has signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. The South Siders will be Goodwin’s sixth team since 2018.

This one time prospect has turned into a nomad. That’s alright, as long as he can get on base occasionally and track down fly balls in the outfield, he’ll continue to find work. I’m happy he’s hanging around.