Luke Goodgion: Rays Go With Big Lefty Wild Card in Round 33

Sometimes in the late rounds you can get players with some nice ability but some major flaw. If that major flaw could somehow be corrected, you can end up with a good player. That’s what the Rays are going for with their 33rd Round pick, Lewis and Clark State College junior lefty-handed pitcher Luke Goodgion.

Goodgion has good size especially for a lefty at 6’4″, 220. He features some nice stuff as well, throwing a fastball with great late bite in the low-90’s and a solid slider that has shown flashes. His critical flaw: control.

In 2012 at LCSC, Goodgion went 2-1 with a 2.48 ERA in 7 starts, 3 relief appearances, and 36.1 IP. He struck out 33 and allowed just 30 hits, just 2 of which went for extra-bases, both doubles. He did have flyball tendencies, managing just a 1 to 1.23 groundball to flyball ratio, but he continuously forced the weakest contact. He was nearly unhittable. His own worst enemy was himself: he walked a horrific 28 and hit 4 more. He allowed 8 unearned runs, which combined with his earned runs amounts to a 4.46 run average that makes more sense based on his numbers.

Goodgion has severe control issues that really have to be addressed for him to have any sort of future. But armed with a couple of pitches with a couple pitches with plus potential, Goodgion has a chance. I’m sure that the Rays will stick him in the bullpen and see if they can get him any control. Goodgion turns 23 in July. Goodgion is a big gamble, but he has shown nasty stuff and we’ll have to see whether that will ever translate to results.