Niko Goodrum on mental health in baseball, athlete identity and why MLB needs its own Kevin Love and Dwyane Wade

Niko Goodrum is a ballplayer with range — both on the field and in the way he thinks about the game, the world, and the people in it. A switch-hitting utility man with the ability to play nearly every position on the diamond, Goodrum has carved out his career with grit, athleticism, and a deep respect for the game. But off the field, his mind works just as freely. He’s curious. Reflective. And increasingly, outspoken about topics many athletes once tiptoed around — especially when it comes to mental health.

Born in Atlanta and raised in Fayetteville, Georgia, Goodrum was a standout athlete early on. He was selected in the second round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins right out of high school. Over the years, he worked his way through the minor league ranks, debuting in the majors with the Twins in 2017. But it was his breakout 2018 season with the Detroit Tigers that really put him on the map — slashing .245 with 16 home runs, 53 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases, all while playing six different positions.

That versatility became his calling card. Whether it was first base, shortstop, left field, or even center field, Goodrum embraced the role of a do-it-all player — the kind of teammate every manager loves to have. From 2018 to 2021 with the Tigers, he was a steady contributor, known for his glove, his hustle, and his leadership. He later had stints with the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox organization, bringing veteran experience and a strong clubhouse presence wherever he landed.

While Major League Baseball has made strides in recent years addressing mental wellness, Goodrum believes the sport still has a long way to go. Baseball’s culture of stoicism — tough it out, keep your head down, don’t show emotion — remains deeply embedded in its fabric. That’s what makes voices like Goodrum’s matter more than ever. He’s not afraid to ask questions, challenge norms, and bring humanity back to the conversation.

In many ways, Goodrum is part of a new generation of MLB players who aren’t just concerned with launch angles and batting averages — they’re concerned about balance, well-being, and purpose. They know the clubhouse can be isolating. They know the grind of a 162-game season can wear you down. And they also know that just like in life, strength sometimes comes from admitting when you’re struggling.

It’s a conversation that’s become louder in other sports. Kevin Love’s honesty in the NBA about panic attacks and therapy opened doors across professional sports leagues. Dwyane Wade’s advocacy has reshaped how athletes use their platforms. But in baseball? Few voices reach that level of transparency and influence. Goodrum wants to see that change — and is willing to be part of it.

In an exclusive conversation, we sat down with Goodrum to talk about the state of mental health in baseball, what lessons MLB can take from athletes in other leagues, and even his thoughts on legendary NFL quarterback Dan Marino’s potential as a baseball player. What followed was a wide-ranging, introspective, and insightful Q&A that proves Goodrum is a thinker in a game that still too often values silence.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Where do you think Major League Baseball currently stands when it comes to addressing mental health, both structurally and culturally?

Niko Goodrum: I would think that all sports are in agreement with mental health. I think where it kind of boils down to is the players within the game and how serious they are. When you talk about mental health, especially in baseball, it’s a mental game all around because we deal with failure so much and we’re taught to be mentally tough but you really never address certain issues within the game and outside the game. And a teammate named Jarren Duran, he plays centerfield for the Red Sox, he had those suicidal thoughts and he tried to actually do it, right? And you don’t realize what people are really going through until something happens and they address it. You think everything is all sunshine with sports and people are like, ‘Oh my gosh! You guys make so much money’…and it’s just like, ‘Everyone goes through the same thing, right? It’s just how do you handle it?’ So the same thing that this athlete may be going through is the same thing that this fireman may go through; and they may be handling it two different ways and I think the biggest thing is addressing it first, and I have a couple family members that are bipolar and they’re schizophrenic, and you realize that it’s a serious issue and the thing that we pretty much look at is just our physical deficiencies rather than, ‘No. Let’s take care of our mental too’ … So I really think that it’s a serious thing. With sports, our main focus is to play, but they’re doing a great job now with having mental coaches. And so, every team now has a mental coach whether if it’s in the big leagues or if it’s in the minor leagues or wherever you’re at, you have a mental coach that you can go to talk about whatever problems you may be having either on the field or off the field. So I think that they’re doing a good job of having that available to us. It’s just the point of and you know as men, we have a hard time just expressing ourselves or actually communicating when something is wrong. So, I guess it’s creating a safe space for us men to be able to talk and blow some steam off.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Kevin Love has been very open about his struggles with mental health in the NBA. Do you think there’s an MLB equivalent — someone who’s been that outspoken — or is baseball still lacking that kind of voice?

Niko Goodrum: Not really. Like I said, the most recent is Jarren Duran, when you’re hearing it, when you’re talking about those issues like the depression that he went through. And like I said, as men we have to do a better job at being more outspoken about how emotionally we are feeling and stop worrying about what society tells us what we have to do. No. It’s like, ‘You have to get these things out of your system and actually deal with ‘em to get over ‘em’ … So, I would say that it’s just a tough space when you’re going out there and competing every day because in baseball, we play every single day, right? We don’t have too many off days like football and basketball where they can kind of deal with a lot of things off the court or field. We’re on the field and we play 162 games, right? And when you actually add that up, it’s not too many off days with the end of that 162. So you may go a stretch of 16 games straight before you have an off day; you’re just like, ‘When do I have time to deal with certain things? Because if I go to the stadium at 1 p.m., right? I get to the stadium and one, I don’t get back home until 11 p.m. So I spent 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the stadium, right? And then you realize that you’re going to be up for a couple more hours and go to sleep and then wake up — so if I wake up at 10 a.m., I get a couple hours to myself at the hotel or at my house and then it’s 1 o’clock. So you really don’t have a lot of time in baseball to really to I guess…get away so have to play focused on that end and you have to be like, ‘OK. Let me clock in and clock out. I’m gonna go to work and you have to treat it as a job’ … Sometimes we get lost in it being a passion and just something that’s been a dream and that we forget that it’s actually a job though; and I need to be able to hit that “off switch” when the game is over, and it’s an “off switch” until I have to clock back in so to speak. So I just think that as we play and get older we start to realize that. But while you’re young it’s just GO, GO, GO, GO, GO, GO, and you’re handing things that might build up so baseball’s tough. It’s a game where you really have to be mentally tough and deal with what comes from that.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: In the way Dwyane Wade brought a mix of elite athleticism, intensity, and dominance to the NBA, is there a player in baseball today who brings that same energy and presence to the game?

Niko Goodrum: Byron Buxton. I’m really trying to think of that combo of just tenacity and God given talent. I’ma say Byron Buxton. That’s the MOST athletic and DOMINANT player on the field wherever he goes. He is the center fielder for the Minnesota Twins and can literally do anything and is actually trying to dominate every night, right? That’s the mentality we talk about with the combination of A.I. and Jordan. They wanted to dominate folks, and they wanted to embarrass you every night. I don’t care about getting my teammates involved right now, I got something going on with whoever’s in front of me right now, I’m gonna embarrass you! But they also were the most athletic on the field or on the court too. And you start to realize that combination is crazy — Ant Edwards, you know what I mean? That’s the combo you’re seeing. That’s the difference maker. So, Byron Buxton for sure when you’re talking about athletic ability and just dominance when he’s on that field and it’s on both sides of the ball so, yeah.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: If Dan Marino had chosen baseball over football, what kind of player do you think he would’ve been on the diamond?

Niko Goodrum: A pitcher. Like, that’s what I saw when he was the quarterback. They talk about how quick his release was as a quarterback getting the football out. It’s so tough because the things that you — when you talk about baseball, it’s not so cut and dry or so black and white. Like, you have the physical ability but, it may not translate to the skill. It may not translate to you going out there and executing. So when you talk about going out to that baseball field, it doesn’t really matter if you’re the most talented or the most athletic. You have to go out there and execute and develop that skill. So him being a pitcher? Just off his throwing ability as a quarterback and a great arm? I really think that he would have a pretty good career because hitting the baseball is tough already so, I think that he would have a pretty good career just off of the things when you see the arm talent from a quarterback stance.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: If Marino had focused solely on baseball, do you think his arm talent could’ve stacked up with elite pitchers like Roger Clemens or David Cone?

Niko Goodrum: Nah. Because I don’t even want to compare a lot like that because you would still have to see, you know what I mean? You have to see what’s going on in baseball. Baseball’s tough because you may have a guy that is just a slop; meaning like he doesn’t even look the part but you turn around and he’s one of the best hitters ever, right? And that’s just baseball — It doesn’t take the most athletic to do it, it’s just who can get it done every day and who can get something translated and how do you repeat these things every single day consistently, right? So just because you’re talented, you may not be consistent enough and you can’t play in the Major Leagues because we need consistency here, right? If you bring that every day or if you have 7 days in a week, I need you at least 4 days out of that week to bring this. So I think it’s kind of hard to compare but I think if you have a talented arm, and you can throw the ball pretty hard, that’s kind of what they’re looking for and they feel that they can really hone your skills and so, I think that he would have a good shot.

Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Which transition do you think is harder: going from pitcher to quarterback, or from quarterback to pitcher?

Niko Goodrum: Quarterback to a pitcher. Yeah. Hands down. Because this is how I look at quarterbacks — If you go to quarterbacks, a majority of them played baseball, right? And then, you look at the ones that didn’t and they kind of have the trouble with passing, right? So you know, talking about throwing the football; Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Kyler Murray…you can name pretty much anybody and I guarantee you they played baseball. Drew Brees. Like, all these guys played baseball, right? And then you turn around and then you go to the quarterback that didn’t play baseball. You’ll be like, ‘Oh ok. I kind of see’…and then I think just developing to be accurate because baseball is about, ‘OK. The guy is standing there at first base. I’m throwing a ball from shortstop. I have to be accurate enough to NOT pull him off this base because we need this out.’ So then you translate that to his route running. I have to lead this guy and throw it just there between these defenders and now you go back to saying that in baseball if I get a football player and he never played baseball, and he’s trying to go play baseball now it’s like, ‘I gotta curve ball, I can do a change up, a slider, fastballs?’ It might be a little tougher just to transition so, I think going from a pitcher to a quarterback would be a little easier.

Goodrum’s thoughts on mental health and player well-being aren’t just refreshing; they’re necessary.

In a sport where athletes are often told to suppress emotion in favor of stoicism, his willingness to talk about balance, identity, and pressure offers a new blueprint for the modern ballplayer. He’s not alone, but voices like his are rare and needed.

His admiration for players like Kevin Love and Dwyane Wade points to something deeper: the need for leadership in vulnerability. MLB, with its deeply rooted traditions, sometimes lags behind when it comes to progressive cultural shifts. But if players like Goodrum continue to speak out, that shift may accelerate. It’s not just about performance on the field anymore; it’s about humanity off it.

And then there’s the fun side of Goodrum’s personality. The way he lights up discussing what Dan Marino might’ve looked like on a pitching mound, or how an NFL quarterback might adapt to baseball mechanics — it shows his love for competition, regardless of the sport. These aren’t just hypotheticals for him. They’re thought experiments from a guy who clearly thinks about the nuances of athletic greatness.

At a time when so much attention is placed on stats and contracts, Goodrum reminds us of something deeper: Athletes are people first. They carry dreams, doubts, and pressures that don’t always show up in the box score. By being open about that, Goodrum is doing more than speaking, he’s leading.

And if baseball is wise, it’ll start listening.