There's little doubt that the Colorado Rockies needed a hitter like Hunter Goodman right where he was located in the team's lineup. Goodman provided a big home run bat and piled up some other statistics as well.

Let's not forget, though, his work behind the plate in dealing with a less-than-stellar Rockies pitching staff.

The team didn't have a great overall record once again. That didn't keep Goodman away from earning a spot on the National League All-Star team this season, too.

Goodman put together a slash line of .245/.310/.529 with 41 home runs and 45 walks to his credit. He had 348 batted balls, 50 barrels and an impressive barrel percentage of 14.5. His average exit velocity was 89.8 with an 18.6 launch angle.

Those numbers, compared to other players in the Rockies' lineup, stand out. Goodman has developed a knack for being a slugger in the high altitude of Denver, Colo. Imagine having two or three other players who could either match or come close to matching his statistics.

Yet the big thing for Colorado is that a solid nucleus needs to be put together around him. As the offseason kicks off for the Rockies, expect president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta to focus on this matter. There even was some chatter that Goodman might be traded during the season, but that never happened.

Colorado has to avoid a fourth straight 100-loss season in 2027. When will the season actually begin, though? A looming lockout in Major League Baseball hangs over the heads of all the clubs.

Goodman was a fourth-round draft pick in the 2021 MLB Draft by the Rockies out of the University of Memphis. He had a .245 batting average this season, but Goodman put together a whale of a 2025 in yet another big losing season. His slash line in the 2025 season? Goodman's was .278/.323/.529.

In looking at the 2026 MLB Percentile Rankings according to Baseball Savant, Goodman finished at the good-to-great level for batting run value, xSLG, batting percentage, and bat speed.

He saw fastballs and off-speed pitches at a little higher level in 2026 than he did in 2025, but pitchers tended to shy away a little bit from throwing Goodman breaking balls. 

When Goodman hit home runs, most of them landed over the left-field wall. It's hard to call him a dead pull hitter because he had the ability to hit the ball to all fields. 

Can Goodman come back with another big season in 2027? Can he get some help from Rockies pitchers who kept him bouncing around behind the plate?