Indians Hoping For Good Career From Goodnight

Photo credit: Tony Lastoria

Michael Goodnight is a sports editor's dream.

With such a last name the possibilities are endless with catchy next day game headlines whenever he takes the mound. It would also make for one cool name if he ever some day ends up as a closer.

"Yeah, our media guy in Houston said you gotta be a closer with that last name, it's too perfect,” chuckled Goodnight in a recent interview for the IPI.

Goodnight, 21, is part of an impressive 2010 Draft class where the Indians went on a spending bonanza to sign 15 players to six figure deals. He signed in early August for $315,000 and got right to work at short-season Mahoning Valley to get in a handful of appearances to help him acclimate himself to the pro game and give him an idea of what he is in store for next season.

Like a great many of the Indians higher profile draft picks this past June, Goodnight signed so late and as a result lost a good half season to get the development process started.

"Things [went] good,” Goodnight said. “I just [got] used to pro ball and the minor league life with how everything works and plan to come back strong for spring training to further on my career."

This was actually the second time the Indians had drafted him as back in 2008 they made him a 27th round pick out of high school. He declined at that time because he was ready to attend college at the University of Houston, but this time around as a draft eligible sophomore he was ready to get his pro career going.

"Oh yeah, it was definitely time for me to start my pro career and it was just good timing,” Goodnight said. “I have no regrets with the decision I made. During high school I got to know all about [Indians area scout] Les Pajari who was the same scout who drafted me this year. So I already knew what he and the Indians were all about and kind of was just prepared with the process since I went through the same thing in high school. It definitely helped that it was the same team because you knew they had confidence in you and stuff like that, so it all worked out well."

Goodnight made only four starts for Mahoning Valley, going 0-2 with a 4.05 ERA. In 13.1 innings he allowed 10 hits, 10 walks, and had 12 strikeouts. As evidenced by the small sample size in Mahoning Valley, at times he can lack a feel for pitching; however, he has some interesting stuff. Armed with a plus fastball that sits in the low to mid 90s and a developing slider as his best secondary pitch, he has the chance to become a lot more than he already is if he can refine his mechanics and pitching skills.

"I am a big body out there and I feel like I have a pretty good fastball though I lose command of it sometimes,” Goodnight said. “That's just the stuff I have to work on. To ultimately be the best pitcher I can be is to not worry about how hard I am throwing, but where I am throwing it. Spotting up and using all three pitches and keeping hitters off balance. That's basically what I need to work on, and when I do it I will be alright."

The development of Goodnight’s changeup will be an early area of focus in order to keep him as a potential starting pitching prospect, but also to give him three pitches to attack hitters in any pitching role he ends up in.

"I have a slider that I am still working on, but it is a lot better than my changeup right now,” Goodnight said. “I feel like if I can get my changeup to where it needs to be I can be a pretty good pitcher. I can throw the changeup any time in the bullpen, but it is definitely something I have to work on in games. The main thing is my command, and I feel if I get my command that my changeup will come. The command and the changeup are the two things I need to work on the most, but I still have a lot of stuff to work on."

Goodnight slipped in the draft partly because of signability concerns because of his high price tag as a talented sophomore eligible pitcher in the draft, but also because of his poor season at Houston in 2010 where in 16 starts there he went 7-7 with a 5.36 ERA. In 85.0 innings he allowed 90 hits and 54 walks while striking out 90.

In order to get a better idea of what they were getting, the Indians chose to follow Goodnight out in the Cape Cod League this past summer. He started six games there and went 3-1 with a 2.89 ERA, and in 37.1 innings allowed 25 hits, 10 walks, and had 27 strikeouts.

"I was disappointed with the season I had back in school, so I had a chance to go to the Cape and fine tune some mechanical things and start feeling like a pitcher again,” Goodnight said. “The school season I had had a lot of ups and downs with inconsistency and the amount of people I walked, and I walked a lot of people in the spring and it really led to a high ERA and a bad year by my standards. When I went to the Cape it was good to be back on the mound and I felt like a pitcher again, so it was really beneficial for me to go up there."

What kind of pitcher Goodnight ultimately becomes is anyone’s guess at this point. If the command comes and his secondary offerings improve, then he has a chance to remain a starter. But, it looks very likely that while he will initially break in as a starting pitcher in the lower levels of the minors in order to help facilitate his development, but at some point when he reaches the higher levels of the minors he will make the transition to a reliever full time.

"They have not said anything about [my role],” Goodnight said. “But, I am willing to do whatever as my ultimate dream is to be a major league pitcher. So whatever role I have to do I will be happy to do it.”

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI.  His latest book the 2010 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is also available for purchase on his site for a special year end closeout sale of $10.00 (including shipping and handling).

Posted in: Michael Goodnight