Dbacks Paul Goldschmidt’s Impact on Other Teams
Paul Goldschmidt has certainly established himself as one of the best players on the DBacks. What type of an impact could he have on another contending team?
Last Sunday, Paul Goldschmidt had a terrific night, going 2-4 with 2 HR’s and 3 BB’s. However, despite this performance, the DBacks still found a way to lose, dropping the game in the 13th inning. This game brings about the resurgence of the common question, what would Goldschmidt do if he was just placed on a better team?
With Goldschmidt being signed through 2018, it is unlikely that he will land on another team before then, and if he does go to another team, there is a slim chance that he will still be a factor by then. Even so, let’s do a theoretical breakdown of the impact he could have on playoff fringe teams (Based on current Vegas odds).
Since we are just one month into the season, I compiled stats from last year to make the comparisons more realistic than the small serving size we currently have.
*I will be frequently using the stat WAR or wins above replacement. It basically tries to sum up how many wins by a certain team can be directly attributed to one player.
Next: To the nation's capital
Washington Nationals – 12/1 Odds to win the World Series: Starting First Baseman- Ryan Zimmerman
The current distance in skill between these two players is innumerable. Goldschmidt destroys Zimmerman in every category. Goldschmidt played in 64 more games, had 305 more plate appearances, 221 more at bats, scored 60 more runs, had 96 more hits, 13 more doubles, 17 more HR’s, 37 more RBI’s, 20 more stolen bases, and his batting average was 72 points higher than Zimmerman’s.
However, the two stats that show the real separation between these two players would be walks and WAR. Goldschmidt had 85 more walks than Zimmerman, and his WAR was 6.8 points higher.To put this into perspective, Goldschmidt had the fourth highest WAR in the MLB. Zimmerman’s 0.6 was good for 8th on his own team.
If Goldschmidt was put on the Nationals today, he could slot in at either 3 or 4 in the lineup and immediately be the best 1-2 punch in the league when combined with Bryce Harper. This pairing alone would certainly increase the likelihood of the Nationals winning the World Series, or at least advancing far in the playoffs.
Next: Over to Bean Town
Boston Red Sox – 14/1 Odds to win the World Series: Starting First Baseman- Hanley Ramirez
Like with Zimmerman, Goldschmidt destroys Ramirez in every category. The main stats that show the disparity between these two players are hits (where Goldschmidt beats Ramirez by 82), RBI (57), walks (where Goldschmidt beats Ramirez by 97), and batting average (72 points).
However, the real whopper is that Ramirez’s WAR was -1.8 in 2015. That means that by playing him, the Red Sox theoretically lost almost 2 games during that season that could be directly attributed to him.
If Goldschmidt was traded to the Red Sox today, he could slot in at either 3 or 5 and be deadly in an order that would feature him, David Ortiz, Xander Bogaerts, and Dustin Pedroia, among others. This lineup would be among the best in the MLB and certainly provide help to the streaky rotation of the Red Sox, and propel the team that most preseason polls had going to the World Series back to their former place at the top.
Next: The Great White North
Toronto Blue Jays- 14/1 Odds to win the World Series: Starting First Baseman- Justin Smoak
I saved my favorite for last and that is the comparison to Justin Smoak. Admittedly, I could have compared him to Edwin Encarnacion, but when Encarnacion wasn’t playing first he has been the Blue Jays designated hitter while Smoak has been riding the bench.
As such, I picked the pure first baseman to compare him to. Just a side note, on this list not one player has had one better stat category than Goldschmidt. Not One. And this includes Smoak. The only 4 stats I need to bring up are hits (Goldschmidt beats Smoak by 115), RBI’s (51), walks (89) and batting average (95 points).
In his 7 seasons, Smoak has yet to register a WAR over 1. Goldschmidt’s lowest was 0.6 in his rookie season and has just kept climbing until it hit a peak of 7.4 in 2015. If Goldschmidt was put into this loaded lineup, I have no doubt they would be playing in the World Series come October. Put him in a mix with Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, and Troy Tulowitzki and you could legitimately score 10 runs a game.
Next: Christian Yelich ready to contend for batting crown
If Goldschmidt was on this team, they would have by far the best lineup in the MLB today and maybe the greatest since the legendary Murderers Row that featured Earle Combs, Tony Lazzeri, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth.