Player Spotlight: Paul Goldschmidt
By Cody Fincher
Arizona Diamondbacks’ star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has been playing at an MVP-type level this season, something that fans in the Valley have come to expect from him.
As of Wednesday, Goldschmidt is batting .338 with 16 home runs and 47 RBI. He ranks third in the National League in batting average, fifth in home runs, and tied for second in RBI.
If he continues this type of play, Goldschmidt will find himself back in the MVP discussion at the end of the season, like he was in 2013 when he finished second behind Andrew McCutchen. Goldy hit .302 with 36 home runs and 125 RBI in 2013 and if he can keep up how he’s played so far this season, expect very similar numbers by the end of the 2015 season.
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Goldschmidt’s outstanding play has also been grabbing the attention of opposing pitchers. He has already been intentionally walked 15 times this year and walked 48 times total. Goldy’s 15 intentional walks are the most in Major League Baseball.
He has also grabbed the attention of many fans. As of this week, Goldschmidt moved into first place in the MLB All-Star voting for first basemen.
As of June 9th, Goldschmidt is sitting in first place in first base voting with 2,010,049 votes; which is 127,324 votes above Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. This thrust into first base means, not only are D-Backs fans voting for him, but also fans all over the country are punching their ballots for Goldy.
The D-Backs slugger will look to make his third all-star team and start the mid-summer classic for the second time in his short, yet successful five-year career.