Memphis Professional Athletes

Hunter Goodman Is Carrying Colorado

It's been a long time since a Rockies hitter gave fans a reason to watch, but Hunter Goodman is making a compelling case. The Memphis alum had a career-defining week, going deep twice and driving in runs against Washington — part of a broader stretch that has him firmly in the conversation as the face of a franchise in the middle of a long rebuild.

The highlight came Tuesday against the Nationals, when Goodman homered and scored as Colorado took the series. He followed that with another long ball Wednesday, going 2-for-whatever with two RBI and two runs scored. Friday against Atlanta he kept the bat hot with a 3-hit game, adding another RBI to his growing ledger. By Saturday he was drawing walks and crossing the plate again, ending the week with his average sitting at .254 — respectable for any catcher, genuinely impressive given the lineup around him.

The Yahoo Sports "Rockpile" column made it official on August 27, naming Goodman the face of the Rockies franchise. That's a significant designation for a club that's cycling through a rebuild, and it signals that front office and media alike are treating Goodman as the cornerstone to build around, not just a solid contributor. For Memphis fans, a catcher becoming the most important player on an MLB roster is not a headline that arrives every August.

Bowlan Closes the Door in Philly

While Goodman drew the marquee attention, fellow Memphis alum Jonathan Bowlan had a quietly excellent week in Philadelphia. The Phillies right-hander picked up his second save of the season on Saturday against the Angels, striking out two in a clean inning of work as Philly held on for a 5-3 win. Edmundo Sosa's ninth-inning grand slam set the table, but it was Bowlan who slammed the door.

His ERA sits at 2.77, which is elite territory for a reliever. With the Phillies pushing for postseason position, Bowlan is carving out real late-inning leverage. A Memphis product playing a meaningful role on a playoff contender is exactly the kind of alumni story that resonates — and his numbers suggest it's no fluke.

Moll Grinding Through Stretch Run

Sam Moll has been a steady presence out of the Reds bullpen, logging appearances in four games this week — Tuesday and Wednesday against the Giants, then Friday and Saturday against the Cubs. He's mostly worked in low-leverage situations, posting 1.0 innings or fewer in three of those outings. His ERA ticked up slightly over the week to 4.55, reflecting a rough earned run allowed on Friday, but he bounced back cleanly on Saturday with a strikeout inning. Moll isn't headlining anything, but for a Reds team managing its bullpen through a long summer, reliability counts.

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Three Memphis alumni, three different MLB chapters — Goodman ascending into franchise-player territory in Denver, Bowlan locking down late-inning moments in a pennant race, and Moll grinding through September's approach in Cincinnati. Not a bad week to be a Tiger.

Hunter Goodman Steals the Show in Colorado

Memphis product Hunter Goodman delivered one of the standout individual performances of the week across all of MLB, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, five RBIs, and two runs scored in the Colorado Rockies' 12-6 demolition of the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, August 2. The catcher's explosion at the plate was the centerpiece of a Colorado offensive eruption that erased an early deficit and handed the Rockies a series victory — a rare bright spot for a franchise that rarely generates them.

The five-RBI, multi-HR afternoon was the kind of game that makes front offices take notice. Goodman, batting .258 on the day, showed the power potential that made him a prospect worth tracking. TJ Rumfield added three hits and three RBIs of his own, but it was Goodman who set the tone and kept Colorado's bats rolling. The win gave the Rockies the series over Kansas City — again, not a headline you see every week out of Denver.

Goodman's output didn't carry that same electricity the rest of the week. He managed one hit apiece against the Rays (Wednesday) and Cardinals (Saturday), with his average settling to .252 by week's end. Still, one transcendent game in a week is more than most players can claim — and Memphis fans had every reason to watch Sunday's box score twice.

The Arms Quietly Doing Their Jobs

While Goodman grabbed the headlines, two Memphis pitchers were quietly contributing in backend roles for contending rosters.

Jonathan Bowlan continued his steady work out of the Phillies bullpen, logging two strikeouts across 1.0 inning in his Wednesday appearance against the Nationals, then adding another punch-out across a clean inning each in his Thursday (Nationals) and Saturday (Blue Jays) appearances. His ERA dropped from 2.95 at the start of the week to 2.81 by the close — a micro-trend that reflects real consistency. Philadelphia isn't asking Bowlan to be a closer, but they're clearly trusting him in meaningful spots.

Sam Moll's week was a mixed bag for Cincinnati. The left-hander worked 0.1 innings against the Athletics on Thursday after logging a full inning Tuesday, and gave up an earned run in 0.2 frames against the Nationals on Saturday, nudging his ERA from 4.14 to 4.27. The results were uneven, but Moll remains a piece of the Reds' bullpen puzzle heading into the stretch run.

The Memphis Takeaway

Three Tigers active in MLB during the same week, each making contributions on different teams across both leagues — it's a snapshot of what the Memphis program has quietly built. Goodman is the name to watch: at 25, if he can replicate Sunday's performance with any regularity, the conversation around him shifts from "interesting prospect" to legitimate everyday catcher. Bowlan and Moll are doing what good bullpen arms do — showing up, throwing strikes, and keeping the phone quiet in the manager's office. For a mid-major program, that's a week worth celebrating.