The poster child for why low round draft picks could be MVP type players, Gody seems to not get anywhere near the respect he deserves. This is purely because he's never played for a large market team. We can hope someone in a larger city acquires him before he gets too old, so he can start getting endorsement deals.
He's not won a batting title yet, but that doesn't mean he won't. He's a potential triple crown player.
Paul Goldschmidt takes a mighty swing
Paul Goldschmidt - 5 tool player
If there were a poll or contest taken to determine who other players thought most likely to win a league Most Valuable Player award, then Paul Goldschmidt, or 'Goldy,' would likely come in first. He is 28 years old, so he is in the prime of his athletic life, by most all measures. He's already proven himself to be an MVP caliber player, and it is possible he improves his claims further still.
Goldy, as they call him, is a true 5 tool player. He can run, he can throw, he's great with the glove, and can hit for both a high average and for power. He's maybe the single most threatening offensive player in the National League at this time.How can I say that when there is a guy named Bryce Harper in the National League? Because Paul Goldschmidt is a better base thief and defender than Harper is. He is already the owner of two Gold Glove awards, a Hank Aaron award, and two Silver Slugger awards.
Paul Goldschmidt will rank high in MVP voting for the foreseeable future
FanGraphs is a site used by millions of baseball fans to get their statistics and projections for any given player. FanGraphs says Paul Goldschmidt is 3rd best offensive player of all MLB players with at least 1500 plate appearances since 2013. Third best? Athletes are athletes for the competition. You can bet Paul wants to be THE best, not 3rd.
From 2013 to 2015 Goldschmidt ranks in the top 5 of the most significant offensive categories. He also plays in nearly every game. He'd had a hand broke by a pitch in 2014, and this limited him to just 109 games that year. Yet Goldschmidt seems largely less publicized than other big names. The players know who he is, and he's in every conversation comparing with names like Josh Donaldson, Mike Trout, and of course Bryce Harper.
Paul Goldschmidt is athletically talented, but he is driven to forever improve his game
Goldschmidt hits balls very very hard. He hits some of the longest home runs in Major League Baseball every year. When Giancarlo Stanton, who is barely even considered human, is the guy who's got the only longer distance home runs than you, and they are only two feet longer than yours, well, you must be Paul Goldschmidt.
They say all that glitters is not gold, but then there is Goldschmidt, who's blood may actually contain traces of gold. He led the National League in home runs one year, and thus the Hank Aaron award, but he is not trying for home runs. This can be shown by an analysis of where he hits the ball. He hits most balls to center field. Less than 30% of Goldy's balls are batted to left, which is pulling the ball for right handed hitters.
What is strangest in the Paul Goldschmidt story is how he'd been looked over a lot by Major League scouts. Looked over as in over-looked. You talk about all the best players in the game today, and you talk about Goldy, and all the other names that get mentioned were much higher draft choices. Goldschmidt is a great big guy. He's got the kind of body scouts usually salivate over getting signed to a contract. But people today don't talk about how big and strong Goldschmidt is, they talk about his drive. He's driven to improve, and then find another way to improve. You can't teach someone what Paul Goldschmidt has going on in his head, and you can't scout for that kind of thing either.
The Goldschmidt family escaped from Nazi Germany
The Goldschmidt family is Jewish. Paul's great-grandparents had to flee Germany and the Nazis who were taking power there. His great-grandmother was the heiress to a great big printing company in Germany, but in 1938, things were not looking good for Jewish business owners, regardless of how wealthy or established they may be.
The Goldschmidt's fled and re-established themselves in Boston, Massachusetts. The Paul Goldschmidt who is now a Major League All Star and possible future MVP adopted Christianity as his religion, but his father's family legacy or heritage is Jewish. When you are from a line of people forever traumatized by the whims of a majority who may frown upon the strange minority of Jews, there is often a long established disposition towards going all out at what you do to survive in this world. In any case, it is certainly working out well for Paul and the Arizona Diamondbacks today.
Paul Goldschmidt is the kind of role model America needs badly
Paul was born in Delaware, but his family relocated to the great state of Texas. So he grew up in The Woodlands, a suburb of Houston. Paul always wanted to be a baseball player, but to scouts he looked big and awkward. Kinda like the way Nelson Cruz always just looked strange trying to hit when he was younger. There was always someone better than Paul on any given team. So he didn't stand out much. He just kept working at it though.
By the time Paul was a junior in college, he was starting to look like a real hitter. He had a big clumsy looking swing, but it was steadily getting the kinks ironed out of it. Still, Goldschmidt was passed over for a lot of draft picks who're nowhere compared to where he is now. He got drafted though, and turned professional. He started to shine then. His 2009 rookie league A ball stats were terrific He hit .334, had 18 home runs, and 62 runs batted in - in just 74 games.
Paul may have left college to play professional baseball, but he didn't stop working at his education. He's graduated from college since becoming a Major League baseball star. This Goldschmidt fella is the kind of role model American kids need in this time where most celebrities are vapid and famous for being so.
Paul is also into reading. He has said he never read much when he was younger because he was working so hard at becoming a baseball player. He's thoughtful and philosophical about everything.
Goldschmidt advanced quickly from the minor leagues to the Major Leagues
Paul advanced quickly in the minor leagues. By 2011 he'd be the Diamondbacks top minor league player. He'd also debut in the Major Leagues in 2011. He'd attended Texas State University, and now he'd become the first position player from that university to make the Big Leagues. You can bet there are honors for Paul in Texas State University, and his coaches there surely are using his name and some anecdotal references to inspire the best on their teams now.
When Goldy was called up to the Majors, he was leading the minor leagues in home runs. He'd get a taste of the Big Leagues, and play in 48 games. It would be the next season when he'd get to shine, and show what he was really all about.
The 2012 campaign went very well for Paul Goldy Goldschmidt, he got to play in the majority of the Diamondback games that season, 145 of them. He hit for a very respectable batting average, .280, and blasted 20 home runs over the Major League fences, driving in 82 runs, and even stealing 18 bases. The thing about Goldschmidt's speed is, it isn't so terrific. What Goldy does is read pitchers better than anyone else seems able to do. Paul has pitchers and their behaviors psychoanalyzed. He's not as fast as Mike Trout by a 4 tenths of a second in time to first base from the batter's box.
Paul Goldschmidt becomes a perennial All Star
In 2013 Paul would make the National League All Star team. He got one of the only 3 hits the National League had in the game. Later in the season there would be a game where Paul became the first Diamondback to both tie a game with a home run, then win the game later with a walk off home run.
He led the National League in home runs in 2013 with 36. He also hit for a great batting average of .302, and had an outstanding, National League leading 125 runs batted in. He only missed 2 games the whole season. Goldschmidt is thus far not prone to injuries outside of his control.
In 2014 Goldschmidt was tearing up the National League, and he again made the All Star team. He was batting .300, had 19 home runs, and 75 runs batted in by the first of August, and on that day a pitch hit Paul, breaking a bone in his hand, and ending his season prematurely.
In 2015 Paul would get to play the majority of the season, and were it not for Bryce Harper, he'd likely have been National League MVP. We are all looking forward to the competition between the two, statistically, in the upcoming 2016 season. For 2015 the great Paul Goldschmidt hit a terrific .321 for a batting average, he hit 33 home runs, and drove in 110 RBIs. He won his second gold glove award, and his second silver slugger award. He even stole 21 bases. What does the future hold for Paul Goldschmidt? Well, he's a man so humble that when he hits a home run and there was a man on base, he often returns to the dugout to compliment whichever batter was on base for him to drive in. Surely his days will become ever the more productive and praiseworthy, as he is a very worthy athlete. I wish him the best, and so should you. Thanks for reading.
0 comments:
Post a Comment