Saturday, July 12

DENVER -- Hunter Goodman ended up where he belonged this year: Behind the plate for the Rockies. Now, he is going where just one catcher in club history has gone before.

Goodman -- who developed and broke into the Majors as a utility player since the club wanted to take advantage of his power bat -- was announced as Colorado’s representative for the MLB All-Star Game on July 15 at Truist Park in Atlanta as a reserve for the National League.

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Even when Goodman was roaming to the corner outfield and first base, catching was at his core. When he came home, he was greeted by future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina ... or at least the four-legged version.

“I grew up a Cards fan,” Goodman said. “He was my favorite catcher, by far.

“I mean, my dog’s named after him.”

Goodman, 25, is batting .281 and leads the club with 16 home runs and 50 RBIs. The only other Rockies catcher to appear in the Midsummer Classic was Elias Díaz, who in 2023 hit the winning home run for the NL and was chosen as the game’s Most Valuable Player.

Goodman said he was with Triple-A Albuquerque when Díaz achieved the All-Star Game glory and came back to tell the stories to the Rockies back home.

“I’m going to try and take everything in, enjoy the experience,” said Goodman, who added that he does not know if he’ll be asked to participate in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on July 14. “I’m excited to be around some of those guys as a young player, pick some of their brains and experience the weekend for what it is.”

Goodman is from Arlington, Tenn., which is outside Memphis and an easy daytrip from Atlanta. Goodman was hoping for the invitation and is looking forward to a big hometown following.

He also had an unforgettable experience in the clubhouse, when his invitation was announced to the club. Goodman had a warm moment with bullpen coach Dustin Garneau, a former Rockies catcher and Minor League catching instructor who officially informed him.

“It was an awesome moment,” Goodman said. “It’s a blessing. I can’t thank everybody around me enough for helping me get there. It was a great experience, having it in the clubhouse with all the guys who have been going through a rough, rough season so far. But we stuck together, and it was awesome doing it with them.”

As recently as the middle of last season, Goodman was a utility player for the Rockies. Selected in the fourth round out of the University of Memphis in the 2021 Draft, Goodman showed immediate home run power. The Rockies moved him around the diamond to keep his bat in the lineup, avoid the wear and tear of catching and move him to the Majors quickly. He debuted in 2023 for 23 games -- none as a catcher.

Goodman bounced between Triple-A Albuquerque and the Majors last season but found his footing when he caught 23 games -- most of them later in the season. Colorado decided that he would be a catcher in 2025, and it signed veteran Jacob Stallings to divide the playing time.

However, Goodman turned hot in April, and the Rockies released Stallings on June 6. Interim manager Warren Schaeffer wants to keep Goodman fresh throughout a long season. Goodman’s positional split is hard to ignore.

In 56 games as a catcher, Goodman has posted a .312/.343/.595 slash line with 14 homers. In 26 games as a designated hitter, Goodman has slashed .224/.303/.367 with two homers. Everything’s better when he wears the mask.

“For me, this has been a long time coming,” Schaeffer said. “That's his natural position. I don't want to speak for him, but it wasn't hard for him to get back there every day. I think it was more of a relief to get back there than to try all these other positions.

“He can handle first base, left field, right field, but this is his true position. And I think you're seeing the result of letting a player play his true position and [hitting] doing it.”

Still, Goodman's time behind the plate bears watching. Schaeffer noted that the 36 games Goodman caught last year combined with Albuquerque and in the Majors marked his most as a professional.

Goodman solidified his Midsummer Classic berth by slashing .316/.350/.716 with seven doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 19 RBIs in 23 games from June 2 through Saturday.

The 16 homers are a club record for a catcher before the All-Star break. Wilin Rosario had 14 during the first half of 2012. If he hits another homer before the break, Goodman will become the first Rockies player with at least 17 before the break since first baseman C.J. Cron reached 21 in '22.

Goodman was 8 going on 9 when he sat on the couch with his father to watch the 2008 Home Run Derby, when Josh Hamilton put on an absolute show before losing out to Justin Morneau. Clint Hurdle, who had managed the Rockies to the 2007 World Series before a loss to the Red Sox, was managing the National League in the next night’s game.

It’s funny how it all comes together.

Hurdle and the Rockies parted ways in 2009, and Hurdle joined the Rangers as hitting coach in ’10. Hamilton and Hurdle formed a bond with the Rangers, who lost the World Series to the Giants.

On Wednesday, Hurdle brought in Hamilton to share reflections and give pointers to Rockies hitters. Goodman, however, said he didn’t bring up the special All-Star night.

“I met him, but I didn’t want to seem like a big fanboy or something, so I didn’t really bring a lot of that up,” said Goodman, who said he took advice from Hamilton on mental skills such as how to approach limiting slumps. “But it was nice having him here, giving a different perspective.”

Kris Bryant is holding on to the fact that his back isn’t getting worse -- as long as he doesn’t run and is careful with his force while batting off a tee. But the goal to return to the field is leading Bryant to seek “experimental” treatments that can get him to the point he can run, torque and simply return to play.

A carefully prescribed offseason program got him to 11 games before chronic back problems led him to the injured list with what was announced as chronic degenerative disk disease. More exercise and an ablation treatment in May did not provide enough relief for Bryant to advance beyond weight-room work and light hitting in the batting cage.

“The running was really starting to give me a fit,” Bryant said Sunday. “That affects it a lot. So we’re doing some, maybe, experimental things in the back.

“I’m going to have a phone call with a doctor in New York, hopefully [Monday], and then I’m planning to go to Dallas to see another doctor there just to try to get all the info I can. I’ve been going through this for three years, and it doesn’t seem like it’s getting better. So the biggest thing is I don’t do anything to make it worse, either. I’m trying to be as diligent as I can.”

Michael Toglia’s two-run homer provided the difference in Sunday’s 6-4 victory over the White Sox. It was Toglia’s first homer since June 18 and first at Coors since May 9 -- before he was optioned briefly to Triple-A Albuquerque at the end of May.

Toglia, who has 10 homers this season, is making steps toward finding his way, Schaeffer said. 

“I’d say the last three, four games,” Schaeffer said. “He’s been taking his walks. He’s been seeing pitchers deeper. He hasn’t been as jumpy at the plate.”

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