How Nick Goody Went From Failed Juco Shortstop To MLB Reliever

Image credit: Nick Goody (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

When infielder Nick Goody debuted at the State College of Florida-Manatee as a freshman in the spring of 2009, he started off hot. He had won the Manatees’ starting shortstop job, and laced a single in his first college at-bat. Naturally, Goody was feeling himself.

“I took my batting gloves off, handed it to (the first base coach) and said ‘Dude, this is going to be easier than high school,’” Goody said.

Unfortunately for Goody, that first at-bat single was the highlight of his college career at the dish. He quickly slumped, lost confidence, and found himself out of the starting lineup.

At his coach’s urging, Goody took his plus arm at shortstop to the mound, and quickly became SCF’s ace, going from failed shortstop to being drafted by the Yankees in the 22nd round of the 2011 draft following his sophomore year. Goody was tempted, but passed on the Bronx in favor of taking his talents to play for Paul Mainieri at LSU.

It was a decision that, in retrospect, was the right call.

“Looking back now,” Goody said, “I definitely didn’t have the maturity level to handle professional baseball.”

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Goody made his mark during his one season in Baton Rouge. He served as the closer on a team that featured multiple future big leaguers on the staff and hosted a Super Regional before being upset by Travis Jankowski-led Stony Brook.

“They were the best team we played against all year—hands down,” Goody said.

The Yankees were impressed enough by their former draft pick that they grabbed him even earlier in 2012, tapping Goody with their sixth-round pick. This time, he signed.

Goody looked the part of a reliever on the fast track to the big leagues by starting his first full season in High-A Tampa. But he hit a speed bump.

“Break camp, go to High-A—and then two games in, boom, Tommy John,” Goody said. “That was my whole 2013.”

Tommy John surgery was a setback, but by 2014, Goody was back on the bump, throwing well and reaching Double-A Trenton. He debuted in New York the following season, but quickly found himself riding the “Scranton Express,” shuttling repeatedly between the Bronx and Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre.

“I had been optioned up and down so many times that year,” Goody said. “I think it was nine times.”

Often, Goody would take the mound for the Yankees with thoughts running through his head about what he was sure was an impending option back to the minors following the outing, never allowing him to truly get his footing in the big leagues.

After being designated for assignment following the 2016 season and eventually dealt to Cleveland, Goody finally got the reassurance he was looking for. When his first few outings for the Indians didn’t end with a plane ticket back to Triple-A, Goody was able to free up. Instead of worrying about getting sent down, all he had to worry about was pitching with his best stuff every time out.

“I could leave the ballpark, win or lose, knowing I gave it everything I had, every night,” Goody said. “It allowed me to go home at night and sleep.”

He’d pitch the better part of three big league season with Cleveland before spending 2020 with the Rangers. After playing 2022 in the Mexican and Atlantic Leagues, Goody hung up his spikes with 158 big league games under his belt, making him one of the best failed Juco shortstops in recent big league history.

On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm’ former big league reliever Nick Goody joins to walk through his journey through baseball.