Former SCF star Nick Goody poised to break camp with Yankees

BRADENTON -- No matter what clubhouse Nick Goody has found himself in, he has always drifted away, with his eyes closed and music blasting, to a place where he'd be in Major League Baseball.

The former State College of Florida star said he wasn't sure where it would be, who he would play for or what position, he just knew he was making it to top level in professional baseball.

"Now I just gotta stay," said Goody, a reliever with the New York Yankees prior to Thursday's Grapefruit League game at McKechnie Field.

Goody was part of the "Scranton Shuttle" that sent players back-and-forth from Triple-A to the big leagues last season.

He received his call-up with the Bronx Bombers in July, and he struck out the first batter he faced.

That swing-and-miss stuff has been a part of Goody's repertoire since his transition into a pitching star at SCF.

Originally a shortstop at Orlando University High School, Goody morphed into a dominating ace for the Manatees. His stuff was so dominant he racked up 19 strikeouts in eight innings in one performance during his sophomore season.

The Yankees drafted Goody after that season in 2011, but he chose to attend LSU, citing that he wasn't ready for pro ball yet.

"I had to move away and learn to live on my own," said Goody, as Bradenton is only a couple hours from his native Orlando.

While at SCF, though, Goody learned how to mature. He credits former SCF head coach Tim Hill, who passed away in December, as one of the most influential people in his career.

"I was a boy when I was at Manatee when I first showed up," Goody said. "And I think when I left I started becoming a man. Learn how to play the game, learn how to go about it the right way. There's just so many intangibles in baseball you can't learn, unless somebody teaches you."

Another influence came during his stop in Baton Rouge, La., during which Tigers pitching coach Alan Dunn offered some on-field advice on attacking hitters.

"Alan Dunn was like, 'I'd rather you give up a home run than walk a guy,'" Goody said. "That hit a light in my head of like, 'You know what? I'm going to attack every hitter. If he hits it out of the park, I didn't walk him.'"

Goody said Hill always told him to attack the zone, and Yankees manager Joe Girardi has seen that with the

right-hander during his time in New York so far.

"He's throwing strikes," Girardi said. "He's locating the ball. The one thing I've noticed about Nick since we've had him here is there's no fear. He's going to attack hitters and that's what he's done."

SCF assistant coach Barry Batson agreed, too, and added Goody has an unshakeable confidence in getting guys out and doesn't get rattled easily.

"Outside the lines, he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet," Batson said. "But inside the lines, he's one of the most fiercest competitors I've ever coached. He's a bulldog. He will fight until the end and that's what I love about him. I think that's why he was so successful in the closing role at LSU, too."

Goody's also persevered through Tommy John surgery and returned with a blazing fastball and an out-pitch in a slider to pair with a circle change-up.

Part of his overcoming any adversity is his faith, which he gravitated toward during his time at SCF after seeing how Christianity worked in Hill, current SCF head coach Tim Hill II and Batson's life.

"When it first happened, I think there are certain phases with an injury, but I knew I could always count on the big man upstairs," Goody said. "No matter what happens, I know everything's going to be OK."

Now Goody has a shot at leaving camp as a member of the Yankees bullpen. He said all he can do is control doing his job by putting his head down and getting after it. Helping in that is pending nuptials: Goody is marrying his fiancee, Katelyn, who he met in high school, in November.

"She's my best friend. She taught me earlier in my career to leave everything on the field," Goody said. " I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for her."

And where he was on Thursday was in Bradenton, a place Goody said is like a second home to him. While he didn't pitch against the Pirates, Goody said family and friends should feel the joy he gets from performing in front them.

"When I'm out there, my mom and my family and everybody is excited," Goody said. "They should feel like they're the ones out there, because they helped me so much."

And while staying up in MLB out of camp isn't known yet, Goody possesses the attacking intangible that isn't easy to master.

"I think when you start getting timid and you start putting, 'These hitters are really good,' (in your head), you start backing yourself into a corner," Goody said. "I'm not going to say I haven't done that, because it's happened to everybody I believe. But when you take pitching like you're on offense, you're the offensive position ... I'm the one with the ball, I control the game."

Jason Dill, sports reporter, can be reached at 745-7017. Follow him on Twitter @Jason__Dill and like his Facebook page at Jason Dill Bradenton Herald.

This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Former SCF star Nick Goody poised to break camp with Yankees ."