By: Brian Frank
Ryan Goins played in 142 games for the Bisons between 2013 and 2016. Goins also starred on the Blue Jays, including teams that reached the American League Championship Series in 2015 and 2016.
Goins is a Texas native who was the Blue Jays' fourth round pick in the 2009 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Dallas Baptist University. He first came to Buffalo as a 25-year-old shortstop in 2013, the first season the Bisons were affiliated with the Blue Jays.
Goins played in 142 career games with the Herd. Photo Courtesy of the Buffalo Bisons Baseball Club
“Buffalo's a fun city to play in,” Goins said in a recent interview with The Herd Chronicles. “Being close to here (Toronto), you get a lot of fans that go down and watch the games. So, it's really cool. It felt like this city was a part of that city, and vice versa.”
The Bisons went on to a 74-70 record that season with Goins slashing .257/.311/.369 in 111 games. He also showed his outstanding defensive ability, while playing 101 games at shortstop, nine at second base, and one at third base.
“I think the biggest thing that sticks out for me is Marty (Bisons manager Marty Brown) had me out for early work every day," Goins said of the 2013 season. "From April until August, we did early work every day. That changed my career. That's the biggest thing I can say is I worked my way into being the player that I am, which, you know, I’m proud to say that.”
In August of that season, Goins received a phone call from Brown with news he’d been waiting his entire life to hear.
“I was taking a nap in my apartment,” Goins remembered. “My roommates were gone when I got the call. I think I (had shivers) for the next 18 hours, until I pulled up to Yankee Stadium. That was special. I didn't play that day. But just getting to take the game in, I think was better for me personally.”
In his first big-league game at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Goins went 2-for-4 with a double. He went on to hit .252 in 34 games for the Blue Jays that season.
Goins hit .284 in 97 games for the 2014 Bisons. Photo Courtesy of the Buffalo Bisons Baseball Club
In 2014, he began the season as Toronto's starting second baseman on Opening Day in Tampa. However, after a slow start, he returned to Buffalo.
“A lot of learning,” Goins said of his 2014 season. “That was a year that I came in and was given the job, but I didn't play well. I had to go down and then came back up and didn't play well, so I had to go back down and keep playing well. I think that was probably the biggest year of learning who I was as a player and as a human, just going through adversity and struggles. That was a big part of my life. Both these cities, Toronto and Buffalo, were big parts of my life. That season springboarded me into the next few years, 2015, ‘16, and ‘17.”
In those three seasons, Goins played in 347 games for the Blue Jays on some of the franchise’s most memorable teams. As he stood on the turf at Rogers Centre during the Angels visit to Toronto in August, he gazed out at the field as the memories came flooding back.
“Obviously, Game Five (of the 2015 ALDS against Texas), Bautista's bat flip and being on third base for that is probably the biggest one,” he said. “But this is where I had the bulk of my career. The best moments in my career were here. There’s just so many memories, not only on the field, but off the field, enjoying the city and the fans – the people here and how they treat you. Even now coming back, they treat you like you never left. It's a special place to be. I have countless memories that I'll remember forever.”
After his time with the Blue Jays, Goins went on to get more big-league time with the Royals and White Sox. He retired following the 2023 season after playing in 556 major-league games and 956 minor-league games. Almost immediately after retiring as a player, he got into coaching, joining Ron Washington’s staff as the Angels infield coach.
“I knew I wanted to coach even before I was done (as a player),” he said. “I knew it was coming. So, it was easy for me to transition, when you know what you want to do, and it's staying in the game – that made it easy.”
Goins in Toronto with the Angels. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles
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