Nicholas Gunnar Goody (born July 6, 1991) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

, and Texas Rangers.

Amateur career

Goody attended University High School in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

. He played for the school's baseball team as a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

. He enrolled at

State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota (SCF) is a public college with campuses in the Manatee County, Manatee and Sarasota County, Florida, Sarasota counties of Florida, United States. Part of the Florida College System, it is designated a ...

to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

, and the team's

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

suggested he become a

. As a freshman, he served as the team's closer. That summer, Goody pitched for the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs of the

Florida Collegiate Summer League The Florida Collegiate Summer League (FCSL) is a six-team Collegiate summer baseball, wood bat collegiate summer baseball league located in the Central Florida region of the southeastern United States. The league was founded in the fall of 2003 ...

, and was named

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

of the league's championship game. As a sophomore, Goody played as a starting pitcher, and had a 6–2 win–loss record, 1.29 earned run average (ERA), and struck out 114 batters in 84

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

, including 19 strikeouts in one game. He was named the Suncoast Conference Pitcher of the Year as a sophomore. The

selected Goody in the 22nd round of the 2011 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, but Goody opted not to sign. He played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

in the

Northwoods League The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not ...

for the Mankato Moondogs to focus on the mentality of closing. In 2012, Goody transferred to

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

(LSU) in order to play for the LSU Tigers baseball team. Nick Rumbelow began the season as LSU's closer, but Goody assumed the role during the season, finishing with 11 saves, third most in the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

Professional career

New York Yankees

The Yankees selected Goody with their sixth round pick, the 217th overall selection, of the 2012 MLB draft. That same year, he pitched for the Staten Island Yankees of the Low–A New York–Penn League, the Charleston RiverDogs of the Single–A South Atlantic League, and the Tampa Yankees of the High–A Florida State League. He had a 1.12 ERA and seven saves in 23 games. In 2013, the Yankees invited Goody to

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

. Goody suffered a sprained ankle when he was involved in a multi-vehicle car accident. He began the season with Tampa, but underwent Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament of the

elbow The elbow is the region between the upper arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and t ...

in his pitching arm, which he injured in his second appearance of the season. He returned to Tampa on May 6, 2014, and was promoted to the

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the D ...

of the Double–A Eastern League in June. The Yankees invited Goody to

in 2015, but reassigned him to minor league camp in mid-March. Goody began the 2015 season with Trenton, and was named to the Eastern League All-Star Game. He was promoted to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Triple–A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

in July, and Brady Lail replaced him in the All-Star Game. On July 25, the Yankees promoted Goody to the major leagues. He was optioned back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 28, without having made any major league appearances. The Yankees recalled him on July 30 due to an injury to Michael Pineda. He made his major league debut that day. Goody spent the season moving between Triple-A and the majors. He pitched to a 4.75 ERA in seven games that year. Goody started the 2016 season in the RailRiders' bullpen. He was first called up on April 22 and was optioned on June 26, then spent the remainder of the season moving between Triple-A and the majors. On December 15, 2016, Goody was designated for assignment by the Yankees.

Cleveland Indians

The Yankees subsequently traded Goody to the

on December 20, 2016, in exchange for either a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

or cash considerations. Goody learned about the trade while he was on his honeymoon in St. Lucia. After pitching 4.2 innings at Triple-A to start the 2017 season, Goody was promoted to the big leagues on April 14. He became a reliable reliever in Cleveland's bullpen by logging a 2.80 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings. On October 3, it was announced that he would not be included on the Indians' 25-man roster for the ALDS. Goody made the Indians opening day roster in 2018. He appeared in 12 games for Cleveland, posting a 6.94 ERA before being placed on the disabled list with an elbow injury on May 3. He ultimately missed the rest of the season after suffering a setback in August. Goody began the 2019 season with the

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...

of the International League. He was promoted on June 5 and pitched to a 3.45 ERA with 50 strikeouts in innings over 39 games. He did not allow a run between June 25 and August 11. Goody was designated for assignment by the Indians on November 20, 2019.

Texas Rangers

On November 26, 2019, Goody was claimed off of release waivers by the Texas Rangers. As Goody had more than three years of service time, he had the option to accept the assignment or refuse and become a free agent. On December 2, Goody accepted the Rangers claim and was added to their roster. He was included in the Rangers' 60-man player pool for the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

shortened 2020 season and made the opening day roster. In 2020, Goody recorded a 9.00 ERA, issuing eight walks and allowing 11 runs in as many innings. He missed time in August to back spasms. On September 24, 2020, Goody was designated for assignment, and was outrighted to the Rangers alternate training site on September 28. He elected free agency the following day.

New York Yankees (second stint)

On February 13, 2021, Goody signed a minor league contract with the

for the 2021 season, receiving a non-roster invitation to spring training. He started the season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. After posting a 2.86 ERA in 17 games, Goody was released by the Yankees on July 4.

Washington Nationals

On July 6, 2021, Goody signed a minor league contract with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

organization and was assigned to the Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

. After pitching to a 5.14 ERA in 14 innings, the Nationals released Goody on August 15.

New York Yankees (third stint)

On August 17, 2021, Goody once again signed a minor league contract with the

. In 28 total appearances for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, he compiled a 4-3 record and 4.28 ERA with 46 strikeouts across innings pitched. Goody elected free agency following the season on November 7.

Acereros de Monclova

On April 20, 2022, Goody signed with the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League. In 14 games for Monclova, he posted a 2-1 record and 2.40 ERA with 24 strikeouts and 2 saves across 15 innings of relief. Goody was released by the Acereros on June 5.

Long Island Ducks

On June 6, 2022, Goody signed with the Long Island Ducks of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. In 15 appearances for the Ducks, he logged an 0-2 record and 4.20 ERA with 24 strikeouts and 5 saves over 15 innings of work. Goody became a free agent following the season.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Goody, Nick 1991 births Living people Baseball players from Orlando, Florida Major League Baseball pitchers New York Yankees players Cleveland Indians players Texas Rangers players SCF Manatees baseball players LSU Tigers baseball players Staten Island Yankees players Charleston RiverDogs players Tampa Yankees players Trenton Thunder players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Columbus Clippers players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Rochester Red Wings players Acereros de Monclova players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Long Island Ducks players University High School (Orlando, Florida) alumni Mankato MoonDogs players