When he was a kid, Cannon Goldin got a close-up view of how professional baseball players go about their business. It has been invaluable in his development and preparation for following in their footsteps.
Goldin is a center fielder at Buford High School, a five-tool player who is considered one of the top MLB prospects in Georgia. Goldin signed to play at Ole Miss, but likely will face a tough choice following the MLB draft in July.
It will be the next step in the process that began when Goldin would hang around the Peak-GATA (Goldin Athletic Training Association) center operated by his father, Ryan Goldin, a former all-state football player at Tucker. Over the years many outstanding baseball players have come through the gym, and Goldin has enjoyed a front-row seat.
“I grew up sitting in the gym watching Brian McCann, Freddie Freeman, Jeff Francoeur, Craig Kimbrel, Matt Olson — all those dudes have kind of gone through my dad’s gym, and I’ve seen them work out,” Goldin said. “To go play catch with those guys, you’re bound to fall in love with the game. I’ve been super blessed to be around those pro guys since I was little, and it taught me how to love the game.”
Credit: Natasha Zagrodnik
Credit: Natasha Zagrodnik
Goldin collected all the hats and jerseys of the guys who came through the gym — his favorite was McCann — and provided a road map he could follow.
“Learning to be a pro through them has helped me, especially now that I’m phasing out of middle school, high school and getting into the business of college or pro baseball,” he said.
The 2024 season was the first in which Goldin did not play football. He was a linebacker for the Wolves, but broke his foot in the first game of his junior year, which hastened the decision to stick with baseball. It was a tough call, and Goldin acknowledged it was a little weird attending the games as a fan. But removing the football element has enabled him to be in the best baseball shape of his life.
“This is the first year I’ve had a healthy offseason and I’ve been able to work on baseball stuff,” he said. “I’ve had a chance to get a real baseball offseason for the first time.”
It’s hard to argue with the results. Through the first 17 games, Goldin is batting .452 (19-for-42) with five doubles, two homers, 18 RBIs and 16 runs scored. He has walked 16 times, struck out only six times, has a .612 on-base percentage and a .714 slugging percentage.
Because Goldin took some classes last summer, he only to take only two classes at Buford, a schedule that has allowed him to intensify his workouts. In the fall he would go to his dad’s gym before or after school, and lift for four days each week. He would drive to Atlanta four days a week to hit at Maven Baseball Lab, where he might run into big leaguers like Olson, Cody Bellinger or Dansby Swanson. From there it was back to Buford to train with a speed coach.
Credit: Natasha Zagrodnik
Credit: Natasha Zagrodnik
During the spring he curtails the lifting and the track work to accommodate the high school schedule.
“I’ve never known anything different,” he said. “People tell me it’s crazy, but I haven’t known anything else because that’s what my parents instilled in me and that’s what I’ve watched growing up. I don’t know anything different.”
Buford coach Stuart Chester said, “He is baseball’s Waffle House. He’s 24/7, 365. His work ethic, combined with his skill set, separates him from a lot of the common baseball players today.”
Goldin is a left-handed hitter and fielder. He can hit to all fields — Chester recalled a recent game when Goldin lined an opposite-field double off the left-field fence — and is a superb fielder with great range.
Although he’s an elite player, Goldin remains the consummate team player, giving credit to his teammates and Chester for his development.
“Shout out to my teammates and coach Chester,” Goldin said. “Coach has helped me grow up and mature and has helped me with my faith and stuff off the field that’s led me in the right direction. And my teammates, they’re the ones that made me look good sometimes. You’re not going to win baseball games by yourself, and those dudes are awesome. I’m going to be bawling the last game this season.”
In choosing Ole Miss, he embraced the personal and development record of coach Mike Bianco and his staff.
“Everybody who comes out of there is set up for success, whether it’s baseball, whether it’s life, whether it’s a job and everybody loves it,” Goldin said. “It’s pretty rare to find somebody that says they didn’t enjoy their experience being an Ole Miss baseball player.”
There is a chance he never will get to Oxford. It all depends on what happens in the MLB draft. Right now Goldin said he’s not thinking that far ahead.
“Honestly, mentally, I’ve tried to take it one day at a time and enjoy my senior year,” he said. “After the season it’s going to get real with all these decisions. I love baseball and want to make it my job at some point. I’m going to play as long as I can, until all 30 teams are like, ‘Hey, no … sorry.’ It’s going to be a hard choice, but whatever happens, happens.”
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