Colorado Rockies: Well-traveled Ashton Goudeau finds a home

Ashton Goudeau has had more than his fair share of address changes in the last year. But Goudeau, now in his third time around as a member of the Colorado Rockies pitching staff, has found a home.

The right-hander, who has been used in both short and long relief this season, was part of the Rockies organization during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season before being designated for assignment last November.

Since leaving Colorado after that 2020 DFA, the Newport, Arkansas, native, spent the next several months ricocheting between six teams, including Pittsburgh, Baltimore, San Francisco, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado (again), and Cincinnati.

After he made five relief appearances earlier this season for Cincinnati, the Rockies reacquired Goudeau via trade with the Reds on July 29.

With that, Ashton Goudeau has seemingly found a home with the Colorado Rockies.

Since his return to Colorado, he has appeared in relief in eight games, posting a 4.10 ERA. He has been scored upon in five appearances.

“I have been proud of what I have been able to do with the opportunities I have had this year,” Goudeau told Rox Pile in an exclusive conversation. “It was quite the journey to get here—going through six transactions. Just to be able to come back, wear purple again, get some opportunities, and have success with them. It has felt pretty good.”

Goudeau recalls the anxiety he experienced with his movement between organizations in the past few months.

“The journey to get here was stressful,” he said. There was a stretch for like a month—it was like every two weeks—I was with a new team. The bad thing was I wasn’t playing in games. I would show up to a team, throw a bullpen, try to wind up with a schedule—and by the time I did—I was on to the next team.

“It was a little bit of a rough journey,” he added while crediting his parents for their support during the tough times of the last year. “I have been able to settle in a little bit here (in Colorado) and get some opportunities. It has been good.”

Goudeau has capitalized on his opportunities on this stint with the Rockies.

He earned his first Major League victory on Sept. 12 at Philadelphia by allowing one run in two innings of relief in a 9-7 Colorado win. Before that, he threw a career-high 3 1/3 innings in another bullpen outing on Sept. 7 against fellow National League West foe San Francisco at Coors Field.

“I have had some good outings against our divisional opponents—the Giants and the Padres,” he said. “I have been fortunate to have good outings against those guys.”

Colorado Manager Bud Black knows that Goudeau has been well-vetted by MLB teams, including the Rockies, to evaluate his ability as a possible future big leaguer.

“The thing that stands out to me … is that you have to have talent,” Black said. “There are scouts out there who view the player as somebody who can help. So all the teams he has been with over the last year have viewed him through their scouts and their scouting reports as a guy who is potentially a Major League player. We felt that way and now we have given him an opportunity to show it.”

Black likes not only the results produced but the mental approach Goudeau has displayed while wearing purple once again.

“He has performed,” the manager added about Goudeau’s 11 strikeouts and .175 opponents batting average against him this season while with the Rockies. “He just wants a chance to probably stick somewhere in the big leagues and let everybody know that he is a Major League pitcher. I think there is a confidence to Ashton and I do think there is a determination to prove that he belongs and belongs to stay because he feels he is a good pitcher.”

“And enough of this ‘waiver ping pong’ that has happened to him the last eight to 12 months.”

Goudeau wants to continue the momentum achieved from his performances since rejoining the Rox.

“Just keep doing what I have been doing,” he said. “I am really happy with what I have been showing these guys and what I have been doing on the mound. However many outings I get until the end of the year, (I want to) just try to keep it rolling.”