When the Yankees signed Paul Goldschmidt over the offseason, there were some questions regarding what type of impact he could make at this point in his career.
The National League MVP in 2022, Goldschmidt’s production declined in 2023. Then he endured the worst year of his career in 2024, hitting .245/.302/.414 with 22 home runs, 65 RBI and a 1.1 fWAR over 154 games for the Cardinals. Each part of his slash line represented a career-low, as did his league-average 100 wRC+.
So when the Yankees gave the 37-year-old a one-year, $12.5 million contract to replace Anthony Rizzo at first base, the move came with mixed reviews.
With the Yankees’ season now two weeks old, however, Goldschmidt has earned nothing but acclaim in the early going of his pinstriped career.
“He’s such a pro,” said Aaron Judge, who shared MVP honors with Goldschmidt in 2022.
Entering Friday’s series-opener against the Giants, Goldschmidt is hitting .383/.431/.511 with three doubles, one home run and three RBI over 12 games. The reserved right-handed hitter hasn’t stolen the show in any particular game, but he’s recorded multiple hits in seven appearances and has been a near-constant on base.
Aaron Boone said Goldschmidt has given the Yankees “quality at-bats every day,” though the veteran noted there’s lots of baseball left to play.
“It’s nice to get hits, and the team’s been playing well,” Goldschmidt said. “So I’ve felt pretty good. But there’s still a long season to go.”
Goldschmidt’s 2024 campaign hammered that point home.
While he didn’t have a great year overall, Goldschmidt did turn things around in the second half after making a few adjustments to his mechanics and approach at the plate. That resulted in a .799 OPS over his last 62 games with St. Louis.
Now the Yankees seem to be benefitting from those tweaks.
“Just in talking with him over the winter and talking through what he went through last year, I think he was really confident going into this year with what he was kind of able to unlock in those final couple months of the season,” Boone said. “So I think he felt like he was in a good spot going into the winter. I thought his spring was good and how he wanted it to unfold. And he’s gotten off to a good start, which never hurts. You always want that, but I feel like this is what we can expect.”
Goldschmidt added that he hasn’t changed anything this season.
“I try to keep it simple, whether I’ve been struggling or having some success,” he said. “Just kind of keep that same mindset, go out there, play hard and try to win.”
In addition to an impactful start at the plate, Boone noted that Goldschmidt has also offered strong defense at first. Judge, meanwhile, said Goldschmidt has become an immediate presence in the Yankees’ clubhouse, speaking up in hitters’ meetings and analyzing scouting reports.
In years past, Judge frequently asked Gleyber Torres what he was seeing from pitchers, especially when the second baseman hit in front of the slugger. Now Judge is having similar conversations with Goldschmidt, who has led off and hit fourth so far.
“Giving me that information helps the next guy behind me and the next guy behind them,” Judge said. “So he’s just been a huge piece for us, and he’s really been kind of a catalyst for this offense.”
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