If you have not been paying attention to St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt yet this season, that needs to change soon.
Goldschmidt had himself an excellent performance on Thursday in the Cardinals’ 8-3 victory over the Cubs. He was 3-4, hitting two homers while driving in five runs, as he was a one man wrecking crew in Chicago.
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt making a run at history
As impressive as that showing was, it was just another day at the office for the Cardinals’ first baseman. That performance leaves Goldschmidt with a .339/.420/.637 batting line with 33 homers and 105 RBI thus far on the season.
Those numbers leave Goldschmidt on the edge of history. He leads the National League in batting average, RBI, on base percentage, and slugging. He is also second in homers, two behind Kyle Schwarber for the NL lead. A Triple Crown could be within reach if he can stay healthy.
This chase for history will have other significance as well. The Cardinals are pushing for a spot in the postseason, and every home run or run that Goldschmidt drives in will get them ever closer to that goal. His dominance will help Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, and Adam Wainwright get to the postseason one last time before they ride off into the sunset.
This chase will also mean something else for Goldschmidt. He is a two-time runner-up for the NL MVP award, never quite getting enough votes to bring home the hardware. Should he pull ahead of Schwarber and win the Triple Crown, that elusive MVP award will be his. Although he is already the frontrunner for the award, a historic season will only help his chances.
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has history in his sights. A Triple Crown could be in his future if he can stay healthy.