Hunter Goodman DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman will get the starting nod in their season opener on Friday afternoon. Goodman will play catcher and bat sixth against Tampa Bay right-hander Ryan Pepiot. Goodman was competing for the starting catcher job during camp and appears to have won the job for the time being. During spring training, the 25-year-old posted an impressive .444/.500/.822 slash line with three round-trippers and six doubles. Last season, Goodman appeared in 70 MLB games and posted a .190/.228/.417 slash line with nine doubles and 13 home runs. However, he spent most of his time in the outfield and started just 22 games behind the dish. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his deployment in the starting nine as he could be quite valuable in two-catcher leagues if he also sees time in the outfield. He is worth a look as a cheap option for power in DFS, facing Pepiot, who struggles to put the ball on the ground.

Colorado Rockies catcher/utility player Hunter Goodman had reportedly pulled ahead of Drew Romo for the backup catcher role with his performance this spring, and that became more apparent on Wednesday when Romo was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. Goodman is 7-for-19 (.368) this spring, and, although he doesn't have a home run yet, he has a 4:3 BB:K. That's a good sign, seeing as he posted an 8:64 BB:K during his 70 games with the big league club last season. The former fourth-round draft pick has big-time power, with 80 home runs in 1114 minor league at-bats, even blasting 13 last season for the Rockies on the back of a 12.8 percent barrel rate. The right-handed slugger will backup 35-year-old Jacob Stallings, but the veteran has logged no more than 89 games in the last two campaigns, so Goodman should have a decent role that would only grow if Stallings were to get hurt. With the power he can provide, Goodman could be worthy of a roster spot in two-catcher leagues and all leagues if he were thrust into a full-time role. The 25-year-old is also eligible at both C and OF on Yahoo, although he'll focus on catching in 2025 despite playing five different positions in 2024.

According to Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post, Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman is not expected to have an everyday role in the starting lineup to open the season. Saunders noted that the 25-year-old backstop will not start behind the plate more than twice a week. After appearing in just 23 games during his rookie season in 2023, Goodman logged 70 starts last summer and posted a .190/.228/.417 line. He launched 13 home runs with nine doubles. He posted a stellar 12.8 percent barrel rate. However, he struck out at a hefty 28.6 percent rate and drew walks at a low 3.6 percent rate. Fantasy managers should monitor his development during spring training. He has also logged starts at first base and could see a handful of opportunities there as well. When not catching, fantasy managers should expect Drew Romo or Jacob Stalling to be behind the dish.