Paul Goldschmidt
Throughout his Major League Baseball career, Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has put up big numbers. Goldschmidt made his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks in 2011 and it didn’t take him that long to put up big numbers at the plate. In 2012, Goldschmidt became the Diamondbacks every first baseman and he went on to bat .286 that year with 20 home runs and 82 runs batted in. In 2013, Goldschmidt led the National League in home runs (36) and runs batted in (125) as he made his first MLB All-Star Game appearance. Goldschmidt also finish second to Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen that year in the NL MVP voting. This season Goldschmidt has even flirted with becoming the first NL player since Joe Medwick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1937 to hit for the Triple Crown and he is leading the Senior Circuit in runs batted in (94), third in batting average (.331), and he’s tied for sixth in home runs with 26 which included a 482-foot blast last night against the Cardinals. And in just five seasons with the D’Backs, Goldschmidt is already fifth in career WAR for the organization with 22. Goldschmidt has managed to do this while playing his home games at Chase Field in Phoenix which has deep outfield dimensions. In a very short period of time Goldschmidt has developed a reputation around MLB as being one of the premier players, but he’s someone that the casual fan probably doesn’t know about.
Goldschmidt plays in Phoenix where the Diamondbacks tend to be somewhat of an afterthought. The Diamondbacks have not a winning record since 2011 which was subsequently the last time that they made the playoffs. And when a team is not playing on the big stage, their players don’t get that exposure. However things are changing in Phoenix.
Tony La Russa was named as the Diamondbacks president of baseball operations last year. La Russa spent 34 years as a Major League Baseball manager as he won three World Series Titles with the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals while also taking the Chicago White Sox to the playoffs. And La Russa along with Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart, and manager Chip Hale are attempting to change the culture in the desert from top to bottom.
The D’Backs lost 98 games in 2014 and led by Goldschmidt, they are a different team in 2015 as they are well on their way to eclipsing their win total from last season. The Diamondbacks more than likely will miss the playoffs this year, but they are an improving club. And if the D’Backs are ready to contend for the National League West crown in the near future along with becoming a consistent playoff team, the name of Paul Goldschmidt will then become a household name.
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