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The Win-Win Situation
Rocky Mount’s Goodwin is in control of his own options – turn professional or go to college
By Jessie H. Nunery
Rocky Mount Telegram
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Most athletes would have followed the trend.
Brian Goodwin went against the grain.
The former Rocky Mount High center fielder knew his name would be called at some point during last week’s 2009 Major League Baseball Rule IV Draft, but instead of waiting by the phone or sitting in his parents’ living room staring at the television set, Goodwin did what he does best.
He played baseball.
The 18-year-old was in Cincinnati, playing for the Midland Redskins wooden-bat travel ball squad on the first day of the draft. He played in a game that night, then went to his host family’s house and tested his ping pong skills.
The next day, while in an airport on his way back to North Carolina, Goodwin’s phone rang. It was an adviser from the Scott Boras Corporation telling him the Chicago White Sox were going to select him with the 523rd overall pick.
Goodwin was a 17th-round selection.
“I didn’t think they went through that many rounds in one day,” Goodwin said hours after being drafted. “They told me it would be after the 10th round.”
There was no draft party at the Goodwins’ house. After a year of opening their home to scouts, potential advisers and having their phones ring often, the family let the draft take its course.
It’s all Goodwin could do for the moment. He could control his swing at the plate and his glove in center field with some of the nation’s better players, but ultimately, the decision on which team drafted Goodwin was not his.
Goodwin has regained control. It will be up to him during the next two months to decide whether to begin a professional career or play college baseball an hour-and-a-half away from his hometown.
It’s a decision that, no matter the outcome, will involve the most simple part of the process.
Playing baseball.
* * *
Goodwin’s response is definitive when asked what attracted him to commit to North Carolina.
“They win a lot,” Goodwin said.
Goodwin could be on track to Chapel Hill rather than White Sox minor league stops in Kannapolis, Birmingham, Ala., Winston-Salem or Fort Mill, S.C. Between the N.C. State Games and playing in Cincinnati, Goodwin will attend freshman orientation at North Carolina.
The Tar Heels recently advanced to their fourth consecutive College World Series, and Goodwin has said playing in Omaha, Neb., longtime site of the CWS, is one of his goals.
He can see himself on college baseball’s biggest stage.
“Next year,” Goodwin said with a grin.
Most of Goodwin’s interaction with the coaching staff at North Carolina has been with assistants. Goodwin said he respects the reputation of coach Mike Fox, a former N.C. Wesleyan skipper.
“He’s a good guy,” Goodwin said. “He cares about his players. He enjoys winning. I hear he’s a hard-nosed guy. I know he wins. Whatever he’s doing, it’s working.”
Goodwin’s parents, Sylvester and Brenda, said they are impressed with the Tar Heels’ program. They attended the ACC Tournament in Durham last month and some of the team’s NCAA regional tournament games.
“Any time we had a question, we felt free to pick up the phone and call them,” Brenda Goodwin said. “And they would return our calls.”
The ACC Tournament also gave the Goodwins a chance to meet with adviser Scott Boras. Boras, a highly-visible agent who represents a number of big-league stars, including Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez, will also handle negotiations between the Washington Nationals and Stephen Strasburg, the No. 1 pick in last week’s draft.
“(Boras) was very personable and down to earth,” Sylvester Goodwin said. “You can tell why he is so successful.”
* * *
The point of drafting a player is to sign him. The Chicago White Sox – like many other teams – spent the last year watching Goodwin play.
“He played up to expectations,” said Andrew Pinter, the North Carolina/Virginia area scout for the White Sox. “It was a nice year for him.”
Pinter said he saw Goodwin play in at least 12 games, beginning last summer. Pinter does not handle negotiations, but he said the organization likes the player it chose in the 17th round.
“The fact that we were able to select him was a bonus, whether it was the first or 50th round,” Pinter said. “We’re going to talk, meet with him and get on the same page and see if we can get together. Hopefully, we’ll get him in the organization.”
Pinter added that in his meetings with the Goodwins, the subject of playing in the pros rather than in college was talked about only before the season began.
“They were very open to the possibility of going to school, yet they weren’t ruling anything out,” Pinter said. “They weren’t leaning either way.”
* * *
Goodwin has despised his mobile phone for a while.
“It’s a lot of stress,” Goodwin said of the last season. “A bunch of people requesting a lot of stuff all the time.”
Goodwin was asked in one of many questionnaires from scouts whether he’d rather be a cat or a dog. It had little to do with his ability to play center field, but it was part of a process in which the Goodwins welcomed scouts and potential agents into their home.
“I look at the way he’s handled the situation, with different ones tugging and pulling at him,” Brenda Goodwin said. “He’s handled it in a very mature way. A lot of kids would have felt the pressure, but his tempo stayed the same.”
* * *
Goodwin is looking forward to this summer. He said he loves the sound of a wooden bat striking a baseball, and he will have plenty of opportunity to do so in Cincinnati.
Goodwin said he plans to attend some Cincinnati Reds games. He’ll chow down every now and then on the city’s excellent source of ribs and chili. He even has a Chevy Impala to drive when he is not playing.
He might try to learn a few things about ping pong from a member of his host family, one who is nationally-ranked in the sport.
Ultimately, his mind will be on playing baseball.
In the end, everything comes back to the game.
It’s something even the draft could not stop.
“That’s all the fun I get to have,” Goodwin said.
Whatever route to professional baseball Goodwin chooses, he can likely look forward to years – if not decades – of fun.
Jessie H. Nunery can be reached at 407-9951 or jhnunery@coxnc.com
