| Paul Goldschmidt | |
|---|---|
.png) Goldschmidt with the New York Yankees in 2025 | |
| Free agent | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: (1987-09-10)September 10, 1987 (age 38) Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 1, 2011, for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Batting average | .288 |
| Hits | 2,190 |
| Home runs | 372 |
| Runs batted in | 1,232 |
| Stolen bases | 174 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Medals | |
Paul Edward Goldschmidt (born September 10, 1987), nicknamed "Goldy", is an American professionalbaseballfirst baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theArizona Diamondbacks,St. Louis Cardinals andNew York Yankees. He has also represented theUnited States in international competition.
Lightly recruited out ofThe Woodlands High School inThe Woodlands, Texas, Goldschmidt played for theTexas State Bobcats, and was selected by the Diamondbacks in the eighth round of the2009 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with them in 2011, and they traded him to the Cardinals during the 2018–19 offseason.
A seven-timeMLB All-Star, Goldschmidt won theNational League (NL)Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 2022. He has also won twoHank Aaron Awards, fourGold Gloves, and fiveSilver Slugger Awards, the latter of which is the most among first baseman. While leading the NL inhome runs andruns batted in (RBI) in 2013, Goldschmidt won each of an All-Star selection, Hank Aaron, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger Awards for the first time. He also has twice finished runner-up for the NL MVP Award, in 2013 and 2015.
Paul Edward Goldschmidt was born on September 10, 1987, inWilmington, Delaware,[1] and grew up aHouston Astros fan.[2] His parents, David and Kim, met at theRochester Institute of Technology inNew York.[1] His mother isCatholic and his father isJewish.[1] Goldschmidt and his two younger brothers were raised Catholic.[1] His Jewish great-grandparents, Paul and Ilse Goldschmidt, and his grandfather, Ernie (who now lives inFort Lauderdale, Florida), escapedNazi Germany in 1938 beforethe Holocaust.[1] Goldschmidt said he and his two brothers "know our Jewish history and we respect those beliefs. We had both sides of it as kids. My dad's side, my mom's side. We were exposed to all of it."[1]
The Goldschmidt family moved from Wilmington toDallas, and then toHouston, because of the flooring company his family owns.[1] He grew up inThe Woodlands, which is situated within theGreater Houston area, and attendedThe Woodlands High School and played for their baseball team. ith Goldschmidt playingthird base, The Woodlands won theTexas state championship in 2006.[3]
Goldschmidt enrolled atTexas State University to playcollege baseball for theBobcats. He was named theSouthland Conference hitter of the year in 2008 and 2009, Southland player of the year in 2009,[4] and was a third-teamAll-American as a junior in 2009 afterhitting .352 with 18home runs and 88runs batted in (RBIs) in 57games played.[5] Goldschmidt set Bobcat career records with 36 home runs and 179 RBIs.[6]
TheLos Angeles Dodgers selected Goldschmidt in the 49th round of the2006 MLB draft.[7] The Dodgers knew he was a long shot to sign with them, but selected him nonetheless. Goldschmidt played with the son of one of the Dodgers'scouts.[8] TheArizona Diamondbacks selected Goldschmidt in the eighth round, with the 246th overall selection, of the2009 MLB draft.[9] He signed with the Diamondbacks, receiving a $95,000signing bonus.[10] The Diamondbacks assigned Goldschmidt to theMissoula Osprey of theRookie-levelPioneer League, where he hit .334 and 18 home runs along with 62 RBIs in his first 74 professional games.[11] The 18 home runs were a Missoula franchise record.[12] The following year, playing for theVisalia Rawhide in theClass A-AdvancedCalifornia League, he hit 35 home runs, the most for all Class A players, and one behindMike Moustakas andMark Trumbo for theJoe Bauman Home Run Award.[13] He was selected as an all-star and won theCalifornia League Most Valuable Player Award. He was also named the Arizona Diamondbacks Minor League Player of the Year.[14]
In 2011, Goldschmidt played for theMobile Bay Bears of theClass AASouthern League. He had a .306 batting average, 30 home runs, and 94 RBIs in 103 games played through the end of July, leading all minor leaguers in home runs and RBIs, while his 82walks was third-best.[15] After the season, Goldschmidt was again named the Diamondbacks' player of the year, aBaseball America first-team Minor League All-Star, Class AA all-star first baseman, Southern League all-star first baseman, and theSouthern League's Most Valuable Player.[16]
The Diamondbacks promoted Goldschmidt to the major leagues on August 1, 2011.[17] The Diamondbacks intended toplatoon Goldschmidt withXavier Nady.[18] Goldschmidt recorded a base hit in his first MLB at-bat on August 1,[15] and hit his first MLB home run the next day offSan Francisco Giants pitcherTim Lincecum.[12] After Nady broke his wrist in mid-August, the Diamondbacks signedLyle Overbay to replace him. Goldschmidt credited Overbay for his mentorship.[18] Goldschmidtstruck out 20 times in his first 44 MLBat-bats.[12] In his rookie season, Goldschmidt batted .250 with eight home runs and 26 RBI in 48 games.[19]
The Diamondbacks made thepostseason and played against theMilwaukee Brewers in the2011 National League Division Series (NLDS). In Game 3, Goldschmidt hit agrand slam to extend the team's lead in its first victory of the series. His home run was the third grand slam by a rookie in MLB postseason history.[20] The Diamondbacks lost the series in five games, and Goldschmidt batted .438 with six RBIs and an OBP of .526.[21]
Goldschmidt and Overbay made the Diamondbacks'Opening Day roster in 2012.[22] Goldschmidt hit his first career regular-season grand slam on June 1, 2012, off ofChicago Cubs pitcherCarlos Mármol atWrigley Field.[23] Four days later, Goldschmidt hit another grand slam offSt. Louis Cardinals relieverMaikel Cleto.[24] Overbay played sparingly, and wasdesignated for assignment at the end of July.[25] In 2012, Goldschmidt played 145 games and batted .286 with 20 home runs, 82 runs, 82 RBIs, 43 doubles, and 18 stolen bases.[26]
Before the 2013 season, the Diamondbacks and Goldschmidt agreed to a $32 million contract covering the 2014 through 2018 seasons with a club option for the 2019 season worth $14.5 million.[27] He would not have been eligible forsalary arbitration until the 2014–15 offseason andfree agency until the 2017–18 offseason.[28] Goldschmidt was selected to theNational League's team in the2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.[29] Goldschmidt doubled with two outs in the ninth inning, one of only three hits for the National League, and the only extra-base hit.[30] On August 13, he hit a game-tying home run against theBaltimore Orioles in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the game into extra innings. Goldschmidt then hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the eleventh.[31] Goldschmidt hit a third grand slam on August 20, 2013, againstJ. J. Hoover of theCincinnati Reds.[32] In 160 games that season, he attained a .302 batting average, 36 home runs, and 125 RBI.[33] Goldschmidt finished second in the voting for the National League'sMost Valuable Player Award, behindPittsburgh Pirates outfielderAndrew McCutchen.[34] He led MLB with four walk-off hits in 2013.[35]
Goldschmidt was the starting first baseman for the National League in the2014 MLB All-Star Game.[36] In 2014, Goldschmidt batted .300 with 19 home runs, 75 runs, and 69 RBIs. While playing against thePittsburgh Pirates on August 1, Goldschmidt was hit by a pitch fromErnesto Frieri in the 9th inning. The resulting impact broke a bone in his left hand, which prematurely ended his season.[37]
On June 10, 2015, Goldschmidt hit his 100th career home run againstBrett Anderson of theLos Angeles Dodgers. At the time of his 100th home run, Goldschmidt was sixth on the Diamondbacks' all-time home run list.[38] Later that year, Goldschmidt was again the starting first baseman for the National League in the All-Star Game. Goldschmidt attained a .321 batting average with 33 home runs and 110 RBIs, with a major-league-leading 29intentional walks, in 2015.[39] He also was 2nd in the league inpower-speed number (25.7).[40] He won his second Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award.[41] For the second time in three seasons, Goldschmidt was voted the runner-up for the National League Most Valuable Player Award, this time finishing behindWashington Nationals outfielderBryce Harper.[42]
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In 2016, Goldschmidt batted .297 with 24 home runs, 106 runs, and 95 RBIs in 579 at-bats. He also was third in the league inpower–speed number (27.4).[43] He was selected to appear in the2016 MLB All-Star Game, where he went 0-for-3.[44]
On August 3, 2017, Goldschmidt hit three home runs in a game for the first time, bolstering the Diamondbacks' 10–8 win over theChicago Cubs.[45] For the fifth time in his career, Goldschmidt was named to the National League's All-Star Team. On September 13, 2017, in a game against theColorado Rockies, Goldschmidt recorded his 1,000th career hit. Goldschmidt finished the 2017 season batting .297 with 36 home runs, 117 runs, and 120 RBIs. He tied for the National League lead in power-speed number (24.0).[46] After the season, Goldschmidt was awarded his third Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award. He also finished third in voting for the National League Most Valuable Player Award.[47]
In the2017 National League Wild Card Game, Goldschmidt hit a three-run home run in the first inning that helped the Diamondbacks to win 11–8 over the Rockies.[48] During the2017 NLDS, Goldschmidt batted only .091. The Diamondbacks lost the series to theLos Angeles Dodgers.[49]
Through the first 20 games in May of the 2018 season, Goldschmidt struggled, managing to get only seven hits out of 73 at-bats (.096). At the time, this lowered his batting average for the season to just .198. Goldschmidt improved in the following month, recording a .390 batting average between June 1 and July 3. In June, he won the National LeaguePlayer of the Month Award for the first time in his career. His efforts earned him a spot on the All-Star Team for a sixth consecutive year.[50] On August 3, 2018, Goldschmidt hit his 200th career home run againstChris Stratton of theSan Francisco Giants.[51] Goldschmidt finished the 2018 season batting .290 with 33 home runs, 95 runs, and 83 RBIs.[52] His 1,088 games played, 209 home runs, 710 RBIs, 1,179 hits, 708 runs scored, and 267 doubles are second in Diamondbacks' history, behindLuis Gonzalez.[53] After the season, the Diamondbacks exercised the $14.5 million option on Goldschmidt's contract for the 2019 season.[54]
On December 5, 2018, the Diamondbacks traded Goldschmidt to theSt. Louis Cardinals in exchange forLuke Weaver,Carson Kelly,Andy Young, and a Competitive Balance Round B pick in the2019 MLB draft.[52][55]
On March 23, 2019, Goldschmidt and the Cardinals agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $130 million, spanning the 2020–24 seasons.[56] The deal became the largest in team history, eclipsing the seven-year, $120 million contract withMatt Holliday signed in2010.[57] In his second game with the Cardinals against the Milwaukee Brewers, he hit three home runs and became the first player in Major League history to hit three homers in either his first or second game with a new team.[58]
On April 20, 2019, in a game against theNew York Mets, Goldschmidt hit a 465-foot home run offPaul Sewald, which would become both his longest career home run and the longest home run hit atBusch Stadium during the Statcast era. On June 21, 2019, in a game against theLos Angeles Angels, Goldschmidt hit a foul ball that ended up flying over the upper deck seating and out of the stadium, the first such occurrence in the currentBusch Stadium.[59] On July 26, 2019, in a game against theHouston Astros, Goldschmidt reached a streak of six home runs in six consecutive games for the first time in his career, also tying the Cardinals franchise record previously set byMatt Carpenter andMark McGwire. Goldschmidt finished his 2019 regular season, and his first season as a Cardinal, slashing .260/.346/.476 with 34 home runs and 97 RBIs over 161 games. On defense, he had the bestfielding percentage of all major league first basemen (.996).[60] Following the season, he was nominated for his first ever Gold Glove in a Cardinals uniform.[61]
In 2020, Goldschmidt appeared in 58 games, batting .304/.417/.466 with six home runs and 21 RBIs in 231 at-bats.[62] On October 28, 2020, he underwent surgery to have a bone spur removed from his right elbow.[63]
On April 13, 2021, against theWashington Nationals, Goldschmidt hit his 250th career home run.[62] Goldschmidt finished the 2021 season with 603at-bats over 158 games, slashing .294/.365/.514 with 31 home runs and 99 RBIs.[64] He won theGold Glove Award at first base, being one of five Cardinals (an MLB record) to win the award.[65]
On May 23,2022, Goldschmidt hit awalk-off grand slam in the bottom of the tenth inning against theToronto Blue Jays for a 7–3 win. That grand slam extended Goldschmidt'shitting streak to 15 games, during which he hit .438 with 28 hits, 12 doubles, five home runs, and 22 RBI. Since RBI became an official statistic in 1920, no major leaguer had previously achieved all of those totals during any 15-game span.[a][66] For May, Goldschmidt led the major leagues with a 1.288 OPS and 33 RBI, alongside leading the National League with a .404 average. His ten home runs ranked second in the NL. He was named the NL Player of the Month.[67]
The hit streak continued for 25 games until June 4 against theChicago Cubs, when Goldschmidt was 0-for-2 with two bases on balls. Over the 25 games, he batted .424 (42-for-99)/.482/.869, 24 extra-base hits, and 36 RBI. It was the longest by a Cardinal sinceAlbert Pujols hit 30 straight in2003, and tied for the third-longest for the Cardinals since 1963.[68]
Goldschmidt reached base safely in 46 consecutive games, which ended on June 11, against theCincinnati Reds.[69]
In a two-game span against thePittsburgh Pirates on June 14–15, Goldschmidt achieved nine hits in 12 at-bats with four home runs, six runs scored, nine RBI, a double, and no strikeouts. No player had matched or exceeded those totals with zero strikeouts over a two-game span sinceTy Cobb on May 5–6,1925, when theDetroit Tigers visited theSt. Louis Browns.[70] On June 21, Goldschmidt claimed his fourth Player of the Week award after having batted .467 (14-for-30), with four home runs, 11 RBI, and a .967 slugging percentage. He tallied at least one base hit in each of the seven games over the week, including four multi-hit games.[71] On July 5, 2022, Goldschmidt scored his 1,000th run in a contest against theAtlanta Braves.[72] On July 16, he hit his 300th career home run in a game against the Reds, the 153rd major leaguer to reach the milestone.[73]
Goldschmidt was named the starting first baseman for the National League at theMLB All-Star Game, played atDodger Stadium.[74] In the first inning, he hit his first career home run in an All-Star Game.[75] On July 23, in a game against the Reds, Goldschmidt recorded his 1,000th careerrun batted in.[76]
On July 24, it was announced that Goldschmidt, along with teammateNolan Arenado, would not be allowed to travel with the Cardinals to Toronto for a scheduled series against the Blue Jays, due to his lack of aCOVID-19 vaccination.[77] At the end of the season, Goldschmidt led the National League with a .578 slugging percentage and .981 OPS while ranking second with 115 RBIs, 324 total bases, and a .404 on-base percentage. His .317 batting average and 35 home runs were ranked third and tied fifth respectively in the NL. Goldschmidt was named the 2022 NLHank Aaron Award winner.[78] Goldschmidt was also awarded his fifth Silver Slugger Award, giving him the all-time record for Silver Sluggers won among first basemen.[79] On November 17, Goldschmidt won his firstNational League Most Valuable Player Award, garnering 22 of 30 first-place votes.[80]
After playing in the 2023London Series, Goldschmidt became the first player in MLB history to play regular-season games in five different countries, having played in the United States,Australia,Mexico,Canada, and theUnited Kingdom.[81]
On July 26, 2024, Goldschmidt hit his 2,000th career hit against theWashington Nationals by hitting a two-run homer run offKyle Finnegan in the bottom of the 10th inning.[82] With that hit, he became the 295th player in Major League history to reach 2,000 hits and the 5th active player to achieve that milestone. In 154 games for St. Louis, Goldschmidt slashed .245/.302/.414 with 22 home runs, 65 RBI, and 11 stolen bases.
On December 30, 2024, Goldschmidt signed a one-year, $12.5 million deal with theNew York Yankees.[83] In 2025, Goldschmidt appeared in 146 games for the Yankees, batting .274/.328/.406 with 10 home runs, 45 RBIs and five stolen bases in 489 at-bats.[62]
Goldschmidt was selected to theUnited States national baseball team for the2017 World Baseball Classic, splitting time at first base withEric Hosmer. In 13 at-bats, he slashed .077/.250/.077 with three walks.[84] Team USA would go on to defeat thePuerto Rico in the championship game, securing their first-everWorld Baseball Classic title.[85]
On August 6, 2022, Goldschmidt announced that he would again play for the United States in the2023 World Baseball Classic.[86] In seven games he posted a .280 batting average with one homerun and a .895 OPS.[87] Team USA would reach the WBC championship game for the second consecutive tournament, but would ultimately lose to Japan by a score of 3-2.[88]
Goldschmidt met his wife, Amy (née Glazier), during his freshman year at Texas State and they married in October 2010.[89][90] The couple have two children, a son and a daughter.[91][92][93] Goldschmidt, who was raised Catholic, became an evangelicalProtestant as an adult.[94][95] In September 2013, Goldschmidt graduated from theUniversity of Phoenix with aBachelor of Science degree in management.[96]
Goldschmidt owned a home inScottsdale, Arizona, selling it in 2020.[97] That same year, he bought a home inPalm Beach Gardens, Florida, purchasing it from South African golferLouis Oosthuizen.[98][99]
During his tenure with the Diamondbacks, Goldschmidt set up a charity, called "Goldy's Fund 4 Kids".[100] His charity has hostedbowling events, which raises funds forPhoenix Children's Hospital.[101]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | National League Player of the Month June 2018 July 2019 May 2022 | Succeeded by |
