NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1978 DANNY GOODWIN

Today’s blog post has a “not so missing” 1978 card for the ever-famous two-time #1 overall amateur draft pick Danny Goodwin, who didn’t actually get a Topps card until the 1979 set:

Goodwin appeared in 35 games for the California Angels in 1977, this after a scant four games for his first taste of the Big Leagues in 1975 at the age of 21.
Over his 35 games of 1977 Goodwin hit .209 with 19 hits over 91 at-bats, hitting his first MLB home run while driving in eight, scoring five himself.
By now anyone who is into recent baseball history, more specifically the June amateur draft, knows that there has only been one player that was TWICE drafted #1 overall on two separate occasions: Danny Goodwin.
In 1971, Goodwin was the overall #1 pick by the Chicago White Sox as a catcher out of Peoria Central High School in Illinois, but he decided to pursue a college career instead, leaving Chicago high and dry as he went off to Southern University and A&M College in Louisiana, alma mater of Hall of Famer Lou Brock.
For Chicago, it wasn't necessarily the biggest loss, since the first round of the 1971 draft only yielded one future star of the game, Jim Rice.
However Rice went at #15, getting picked by the Boston Red Sox, so it seems highly probable that the White Sox would have picked some other relative "bust" had they not chosen Goodwin.
Just as a point of reference, the players picked between #2 and #5: Jay Franklin, Tommy Bianco, Condredge Holloway (what a name!) and Roy Branch.
After four years at college, Goodwin still impressed scouts enough that the California Angels decided to pick him #1 again in the 1975 draft.
Sadly for the Angels, it was also not as fruitful a pick, as Goodwin never did pan out on the big league level.
All told, between the years 1975 and 1982 Goodwin averaged about 45 games a season for the Angels, Twins and A's, mainly as a designated hitter, ending up with a .236 lifetime average and 13 home runs to go along with 81 runs batted in.
He DID have some fine seasons in the minors, but just couldn't continue that performance in the Majors.
He even managed to get a season in Japan in 1986, playing for Nankai, but only batted .231 with eight homers and 26 ribbies in 83 games, and called it a career.
On a much finer note, in 2011 Goodwin was honored as the very first college player from a historically black university to be elected to the National College Baseball Hall of Fame after his stellar college career between 1971 and 1975.

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1976 DANNY GOODWIN

Up on the blog today we have a “not so missing” 1976 card for 2x #1 overall draft pick Danny Goodwin, still the only player ever taken first twice in the Amateur Draft:

Goodwin made his major League debut as a 21-year-old during the 1975 season, appearing in four games and collecting one hit over ten at-bats, a single.
As many of you already know, Goodwin was first drafted #1 back in 1971 by the Chicago White Sox, but turned them down so he could attend Southern University and A&M.
After a successful college playing career, he was once again the top pick overall in 1975, this time by the California Angels.
All told, between the years 1975 and 1982 Goodwin averaged about 45 games a season for the Angels, Twins and A's, mainly as a designated hitter, ending up with a .236 lifetime average and 13 home runs to go along with 81 runs batted in over 252 games and 636 at-bats.
He DID have some good seasons in the minors, but just couldn't continue that performance in the Majors.
He even managed to get a season in Japan in 1986, playing for Nankai, but only batted .231 with eight homers and 26 ribbies in 83 games, and called it a career.
In 2011 Goodwin was honored as the very first player from a historically black university to be elected to the National College Baseball Hall of Fame after his stellar college career between 1971 and 1975.

#1 DRAFT PICKS OF THE 1970's. A SPECIAL SUB-SET...DANNY GOODWIN: CALIFORNIA ANGELS: 1975

Today on my "1970's #1 Draft Picks" thread we revisit the ONLY player ever drafted TWICE as the #1 overall pick: Danny Goodwin.

As many of you already know, Goodwin was first drafted #1 back in 1971 by the Chicago White Sox, but turned them down so he could attend Southern University and A&M.

After a successful college playing career, he was once again the top pick overall in 1975, this time by the California Angels.

With that, take a look at my design for the 1975 entry in my imagined sub-set for the 1979 Topps set:

Second time around at #1 for Goodwin.

Much like Archie Griffin in the NFL, who was the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner (for some reason my brain has always connected these two guys), Goodwin never did pan out at the big league level (actually it'd be fair to say Griffin had better luck in the NFL).

Since I profiled Goodwin for the 1971 "card", I'll just include the link here for anyone interested in his Major League performance since it was covered there.

http://whentoppshadballs.blogspot.com/2013/12/1-draft-picks-of-1970s-special-sub_13.html

Next up we look at the player I'd say was the second-most successful #1 overall pick of the 1970's, Floyd Bannister, who was taken first by the Houston Astros in 1976 before becoming a solid starter for the Seattle Mariners and Chicago White Sox later on in his career.

#1 DRAFT PICKS OF THE 1970's. A SPECIAL SUB-SET...DANNY GOODWIN: CHICAGO WHITE SOX: 1971

By now anyone who is into recent baseball history, more specifically the June amateur draft, knows that there has only been one player that was TWICE drafted #1 overall on two separate occasions: Danny Goodwin.

In 1971, Goodwin was the overall #1 pick by the Chicago White Sox as a catcher out of Peoria Central High School in Illinois, but he decided to pursue a college career instead, leaving Chicago high and dry as he went off to Southern University and A&M College in Louisiana, alma mater of Hall of Famer Lou Brock.

For Chicago, it wasn't necessarily the biggest loss, since the first round of the 1971 draft only yielded one future star if the game, Jim Rice.

However Rice went at #15, getting picked by the Boston Red Sox, so it seems highly probable that the White Sox would have picked some other relative "bust" had they not chosen Goodwin.

Just as a point of reference, the players picked between #2 and #5: Jay Franklin, Tommy Bianco, Condredge Holloway (what a name!), and Roy Branch.

See what I mean?

Anyway, after four years at college, Goodwin still impressed scouts enough that the California Angels decided to pick him #1 again in the 1975 draft (which will be profiled in the near future right here).

Sadly for the Angels, it was also a wasted pick, as Goodwin never did pan out on the big league level.

All told, between the years 1975 and 1982 Goodwin averaged about 45 games a season for the Angels, Twins and A's, mainly as a designated hitter, ending up with a .236 lifetime average and 13 home runs to go along with 81 runs batted in.

He DID have some kick-ass seasons in the minors, but just couldn't continue that performance in the Majors.

He even managed to get a season in Japan in 1986, playing for Nankai, but only batted .231 with eight homers and 26 ribbies in 83 games, and called it a career.

In 2011 Goodwin was honored as the very first college player from a historically black university to be elected to the National College Baseball Hall of Fame after his stellar college career between 1971 and 1975.

Goodwin will always be that trivia answer regarding his two #1 picks in '71 and '75, and today I present my second design for the imagined 1979 sub-set of #1 overall draft picks of the 1970's, following my Mike Ivie design, who went #1 in 1970.

Keep and eye out for my next post on this thread, 1972's #1 pick Dave Roberts, coming soon.

The first of his two #1 pick years...