Diamondbacks: Paul Goldschmidt won’t be forgotten star much longer

Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

A postseason berth and the MVP race could give Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt the widespread recognition that has always eluded him.

Paul Goldschmidt made headlines yesterday afternoon, which is unjustly a somewhat rare occurrence for the Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman on a national level. But Goldschmidt’s performance in the D-Backs’ 10-8 win over the Cubs in Chicago was simply too extraordinary to ignore.

Goldschmidt went 3-for-4 with six RBI in the victory, and all three hits were home runs. He belted a three-run shot in the first, a two-run blast in the fifth and topped it off with a solo homer in the ninth to give Arizona the lead. It was the first three-homer game of Goldschmidt’s seven-year career. Perhaps the most interesting note of the day was that each of Goldschmidt’s home runs came after each of the game’s three rain delays.

Fans in Arizona have become used to seeing Goldschmidt’s heroics on a nightly basis, but those outside the desert don’t see or hear about him nearly as often as they should. With seven seasons and almost 900 games in the big leagues under his belt, he has already established a substantial track record. Yet at 29 years of age, Goldschmidt is nowhere close to being done.

Since 2012, Goldschmidt’s second season and his first with at least 100 games played, only four players have surpassed his 30.7 fWAR. They’re household names: Mike Trout (51.5), Josh Donaldson (34.0), Andrew McCutchen (31.9) and Buster Posey (31.4). Between the four of them, they have 19 All-Star nods and five Most Valuable Player Awards. In fact, each has claimed the MVP at least once in their careers.

Goldschmidt has done fine as far as the All-Star Game is concerned, with five consecutive appearances in the Midsummer Classic. But he’s perplexingly never captured his league’s top individual honor, finishing as the runner-up twice in 2013 and 2015.

He’s making perhaps his best MVP case yet this year, however. Goldschmidt is slashing a ferocious .320/.440/.591 in 107 games. His 1.030 OPS trails only Bryce Harper (1.040) in the National League. His 25 home runs and 85 RBI rank seventh and second in the Senior Circuit, respectively.

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Goldschmidt has undoubtedly been hindered in awards consideration by playing on some lackluster Diamondbacks teams in recent years. Over the past five seasons, the D-Backs have managed a 374-436 record (.462). They have lost over 90 games in two of the last three campaigns. Whether fair or not, players on bad teams have to be that much better than their rivals to garner enough MVP votes.

Fortunately for Goldschmidt, this year’s Arizona squad is changing the narrative. The D-Backs have been one of the 2017 season’s real surprises. Their 62-46 record is the fourth-best mark in baseball, and though the Dodgers (76-32) have a stranglehold on the division, they own a comfortable six-game cushion in the NL Wild Card race.

The D-Backs’ rising profile should help Goldschmidt when it’s time to cast ballots, but he once again won’t lack for competition. He’s currently second in the NL with 5.1 fWAR, behind Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon. Harper, who most would likely peg as Goldschmidt’s biggest MVP challenger at the moment, comes in third at 4.8 fWAR.

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Awards aside, Goldschmidt could very well be headed for his first taste of playoff baseball since 2011, when he played in four NLDS games as a 24-year-old rookie. That alone should give him a well-deserved boost in recognition and appreciation among the league’s fans.