On Tuesday morning the Colorado Rockies continue to cut down their roster as they the 2024 regular season draws ever closer. While most of the moves were to be expected, the surprise of the group to many was that Hunter Goodman was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque to begin the 2024 season.

The Rockies announced today that they have optioned INF Julio Carreras, INF/OF Hunter Goodman, and RHPs Gavin Hollowell and Riley Pint to Triple-A Albuquerque. Additionally, C Braxton Fulford and OFJordan Beck have been reassigned to Minor League Camp.

— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) March 12, 2024

It may be surprising and perhaps disappointing to fans hoping Goodman would get an Opening Day spot, but the move could prove quite beneficial to both Goodman and the Rockies.

Drafted in 2021 out of the University of Memphis in the fourth round, Goodman quickly stormed through the minors to make his debut in 2023 with the Rockies. His undeniable power helped him dominate each stop on his way to Coors Field. In 2022, Goodman belted 36 homers across three levels and drove in 106 RBI while slashing .295/.354/.572 in 135 games.

The numbers were quite tantalizing and so things were looking bright for Goodman in 2023 as he spent the majority of the year in Double-A with the Hartford Yard Goats. Hartford is one of the more difficult stops for Rockies prospects as it is the most neutral sight in the farm system. Hitting naturally becomes more difficult as the competition gets better. Goodman still exhibited plenty of power with his 25 home runs in 91 games but he saw his batting average drop to .239 on the year in Double-A. Still, a .523 SLG and .848 OPS were good enough for the Rockies to promote Goodman to Triple-A Albuquerque to give him a taste of higher-level competition.

The result was an offensive explosion for Goodman as he felt right at home in the offensively minded Pacific Coast League. In just 15 games with the Isotopes, he slashed .371/.418/.903 with nine home runs and 33 RBI. It was a sight to behold and with the season already lost and the team hurtling towards 100 losses, the Rockies decided to promote Goodman to the big league roster at the end of August.

He ended up playing in 23 games for the Rockies but struggled to a .200/.247/.386 batting line. Suddenly, the power that had carried him through the minors didn’t translate over as he hit just one home run. He managed to drive in 17 home runs, showing that he could still be a run producer, but it wasn’t exactly the debut month that anyone had hoped for.

Entering Spring Training in 2024, Goodman was in the mix for a job in right field and/or utility first baseman and extra catcher. Unfortunately, his spring hasn’t been great. In 13 Spring Training games, Goodman was just 5-for-26 with one home run. His biggest flaw at the moment is an overabundance of strikeouts, such as the nine in Spring Training against zero walks.

Strikeouts have been a large factor in Goodman’s game through the minors. Between 2022 and 2023 in the minors, he struck out a total of 266 times against 84 walks in 242 games. In his stint with the Rockies, he struck out 24 times and drew just five walks.

There is nothing particularly wrong with an aggressive approach, but Goodman featured a 40% swing rate on pitches outside of the zone, making contact half the time. While he has easily punished fastballs, breaking pitches gave him more trouble at the MLB level where he struck out 12 times and had a 52.8% whiff rate. It’s known that players will see more breaking balls and offspeed pitches at the major league level, leading to some difficulty adjusting on the fly for players like Goodman who are known power sluggers.

So, the Rockies are following the same plan that they did a year ago with current starting left fielder, Nolan Jones. In his first Spring Training with the Rockies last year, Jones had an abysmal spring because of a copious amount of strikeouts. Realizing he needed to take a step back, they started him in Triple-A to work on his plate discipline and other adjustments. The result was a player who dominated the PCL and eventually had a 20-20 season with the Rockies and is a budding star.

Goodman has the opportunity to take a step back and try to lessen the pressure on himself. It’s natural for players to put unneeded stress on themselves with the desire to prove something or carry a team on their back. At times Goodman appeared to be pressing with the Rockies in his debut, resulting in a different player than the one that had dominated at the plate. An extended look in Triple-A could do wonders for Goodman as he refines his approach and tries to wrangle in the strikeouts and find a consistent power stroke. Rockies fans have seen the wonders of what hitting coach Jordan Pacheco has done with hitters in Albuquerque as contact becomes the name of the game. Ideally, Goodman will be able to make more consistent contact, as well as better contact, resulting in fewer ground balls and more line drives to go along with plenty of fly balls.

There is also the chance for Goodman to continue working on his defensive versatility. The outfield wasn’t exactly in his repertoire until he got closer to the big league level. As a result, he isn’t as refined at that position, so a stint in Triple-A will give him needed time to continue to adjust and get regular time in the outfield. He can also continue to work on playing first base and doing some occasional catching.

Should Goodman be able to take the leaps in development to start the season that he has shown capable of doing in years prior, it’s likely he could quickly find himself back with the Rockies and contending for a starting position. The future is bright for the Rockies in terms of prospects and Goodman can factor into that future as he continues to improve down in Albuquerque.