Former Building Champions shortstop Nick Goodwin is the latest Ban Johnson Collegiate League alumnus selected in the MLB Draft — and he’s got a decades-long family legacy in the league.
The Toronto Blue Jays picked Goodwin as the No. 214 overall selection in the seventh-round of the 2023 draft.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Goodwin said. “I’m actually down here at the spring training complex [Dunedin, FL.] right now. I’m excited to get started.”
Goodwin led the Building Champions team in the 2020 season with a .378 batting average, .676 slugging percentage and 1.213 OPS. During his 13 games, he had 14 RBIs and 17 runs scored and boasted a .537 on-base percentage. Goodwin, an Overland Park native and St. Thomas Aquinas graduate, is a third-generation BJCL player.
Originally, Goodwin planned to play that summer in the Futures League, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed those plans.
“I think it was a blessing in disguise, because it enabled me to stay home and get in the gym more,” Goodwin said. “It gave me the chance to get stronger and work on my game. A lot of guys had to stay home that summer and played in the league, so the competition was pretty good.”
His grandfather, Don Goodwin, played for Milgram from 1954-59.
Three of Don’s sons — including Nick’s dad, David Goodwin — also played in the BJCL.
David starred for the Mustangs from 1993-96, winning the 1996 BJCL MVP. He later played three seasons in the Kansas City Royals’ minor-league system, advancing as high as Class AA.
David slashed .286/.359/.425 with nine home runs and 73 RBIs in 1999 with the club’s Class A affiliate in Charleston, earning a brief promotion to the Wichita Wranglers before retiring after the 2000 season.
Two of Nick’s uncles, Steve Goodwin and Mark Goodwin, played for Milgram from 1981-84.
Mark also played in the minor leagues after his Kansas State career ended, spending the 1985 and 1986 seasons with the Bluefield Orioles, a Baltimore affiliate in the Appalachian League.
“It was pretty cool to be able to play in the same league they all did,” Nick said. “Obviously, the league has changed a lot through the years, but it was a cool experience to be able to kind of follow in their footsteps.”
Nick went on to play at Kansas State, where he socked at least 10 home runs in all three seasons.
He was a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American the spring after his BJCL stint and went on to be a three-time All-Big honorable mention selection.
Nick slashed .273/.368/.505 for the Wildcats with 41 doubles, 33 home runs, 33 stolen bases, 138 RBIs and 126 runs scored in 173 collegiate games.