Tom Goodwin
A speedster who stole 369 bases in the majors, using his legs to carve out a 14-year career as a disruptive force.
Born 1968 (age 58)·American baseball player & coach·Birthday: July 27·Generation X
Biography
Tom Goodwin's baseball career was built on pure, unadulterated speed. Drafted in the first round by the Dodgers in 1989, the California native made his mark not with power but with his ability to disrupt a game from the top of the lineup. As a center fielder, he covered vast tracts of outfield grass, and as a hitter, his primary goal was to get on base and immediately become a threat. Goodwin's best seasons came with the Kansas City Royals, where in 1998 he led the American League in stolen bases with 66, a testament to his daring on the basepaths. He played for seven different teams in his journeyman career, always valued for his defensive range and his capacity to pinch-run in critical moments. After retiring, he transitioned smoothly into coaching, bringing his experience as a role player to guide the next generation, including a stint as the first base coach for the Boston Red Sox.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Tom was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Tom Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Tom's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Stole 369 bases over a 14-season Major League Baseball career with seven different teams.
- Led the American League in stolen bases with 66 for the Kansas City Royals in the 1998 season.
- Recorded a career-high .292 batting average and a .362 on-base percentage for the Royals in 1999.
- Served as the first base coach for the Boston Red Sox from 2012 to 2015.
Did You Know?
He was a standout in both baseball and football at Fresno State University.
He stole home plate twice during his major league career.
He was traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Billy Brewer.
His son, T.J. Goodwin, was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2018.
“You can't teach speed. You either have it or you don't.”
