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“He’s Jesus Christ in a baseball uniform.”
“He’s everything you want in a baseball player.”
Compared to Albert P. Pujols— the P stands for perfect— by Tony LaRussa, Paul Goldschmidt is a one-of-a-kind first baseman.
Goldy’s family history has led him to becoming this one-of-a-kind player. His great-grandparents on his father’s side escaped from Nazi Germany in 1938, leaving behind an ultra-successful printing company. Life in Boston proved to be a challenge early on for his great-grandparents, Ilse and Paul. To make ends meet, Ilse sold candy door-to-door and Paul opened a luncheonette.
However, they persevered. They had a son named Ernie who was five years old when they feld Germany. Ernie had a son named David who met his wife, Kim, at Rochester Institute of Technology. They had three sons, the oldest of which was Paul. Just like his family before him, Paul persevered. Scouts questioned whether or not his swing, although successful, could translate to success at higher levels. The 246th overall pick, the sixth corner infielder the Diamondbacks selected, Goldschmidt was determined to prove that he was the best. And it didn’t take long for him to do just that.
Now, Goldschmidt is recognized as one of, if not, the best first baseman in the MLB. However, Goldy is not your typical first baseman. He hits for average like Robinson Cano, has the power of Yoenis Cespedes, and can steal bases like José Altuve.
I bet you didn’t know that last part about Goldy’s stealing prowess. Before we get to that though, let’s explore his exceptional hitting. As a first baseman, the expectation is that Goldschmidt can hit for power, and he can. Since 2013, Goldy has an isolated power (ISO) of .234, which is tied for 16th in the MLB with Miguel Cabrera. He also has 123 home runs in the same time span, which is tied for 14th with Nolan Arenado and Mark Trumbo. Goldschmidt has slugged .541 since 2013, which is the fifth highest mark in that time span.
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A career .300 hitter, Goldschmidt is more than just a power hitter. Last season, Goldy was fourth among first basemen in the MLB with a .297 average, and in 2015, he was fourth among all hitters with a .321 average.
Goldy is also adept at getting on base via the walk. Over his career, he has a BB% of 14.2% which is fifth highest among active hitters. This season, Goldschmidt has a BB% of 17.4%, which is up from 15.6% last season and fourth in the MLB. His ability to draw walks has reward him the third highest OBP among active players at .401.
Paul Goldschmidt’s superb eye at the plate has helped him reach such a high OBP. Over his career, according to Fangraphs.com, Goldy has swung at only 24.7% of pitches out of the strike zone. This has led to a swinging strike percentage of only 8.9%. Waiting for his pitch has led to a high walk rate and incredible hitting numbers as well.
Remember when I said that Paul Goldschmidt can steal bases like José Altuve? Well, last season, Goldy— all 6-3 225 lbs of him— stole 32 bases, which was fifth in the MLB. Altuve only stole 30 bases. Yes. That means that Paul Goldschmidt is among that best base stealers in all of baseball. I was just as surprised as you are right now when I found this out. Although Goldschmidt is fast for his size, his excellent technique on the base path has allowed him to steal bases at a phenomenal clip for a power hitting first baseman of his size.
It is a crime that Paul Goldschmidt does not get the credit he deserves as one of baseball’s most versatile players. "I know a lot of people look up to major league baseball players, but I'm just not thinking of myself like that,” Goldschmidt once said. Although Goldy may think this, there aren’t many players in the league that are a better role model than he is. His grandparents and great grandparents may have been the ones who worked in the food service business, but Paul Goldschmidt always delivers.