Count of Jews in 2010 draft hits 12
August 13, 2010 (Friday)
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — You’ve heard of the 12 tribes. How about the 12 tribesman?
Two months after Major League Baseball held its 2010 amateur draft, we’re still figuring out how many of the player selected were Jewish. (At last count, we knew of 11.) Thanks to a tip from Jewish Baseball News reader Irwin Cohen, we recently discovered a 12th: Derek Goodwin.
A graduating senior at Diamond Ranch H.S. in Pomona, Calif., Goodwin was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 46th round (1389th overall). In an interview today (8/13/2010) with JBN, he discussed high-school ball, his thoughts on the draft, and his plans for the future:
- Goodwin was a double-threat at Diamond Ranch, where he played catcher and was the team’s ace pitcher. Since Diamond typically played two games per week, he would catch one game and pitch the other. For the purposes of the draft, however, Goodwin focused on catching. “Catching’s my best position,” he said.
- That the Milwaukee Brewers drafted him was not a big surprise. Senior year, Goodwin played in a Wednesday night “Brewers elite” league organized and coached by Brewers scouts. At Diamond Ranch games, scouts from the Brewers, the St. Louis Cardinals and the the San Diego Padres came to see him play.
- Though being drafted was exciting, Goodwin said he had hoped to be selected in an earlier round, where the signing bonuses are higher.
- Goodwin gave “some thought” to signing with the Brewers, but he accepted a baseball scholarship at Sacramento State instead. “After talking to the (Brewers’) scout over the phone, I decided I’m going to go play college for three years, get bigger and stronger, and try to get drafted again…I just want to improve my game and maybe get drafted toward the top 10 rounds after my junior year.”
- Goodwin’s father was a high-school pitcher, and his brother, a high-school catcher two years his junior, is already drawing interest from college baseball programs.
- Although Goodwin’s mother is not Jewish, he says he was raised in the Jewish tradition and identifies himself as such. Like many Jewish athletes, he says team practices didn’t leave him with time to study for a Bar Mitzvah. “We were too busy with sports,” he says.
###
