Cincinnati Reds: Last gasp for the postseason starts vs the Cardinals

Goldschmidt is firmly in the MVP conversation

Could this finally be the year six-time All-Star Paul Goldschmidt finally captures the elusive MVP award? Three times Goldy has finished among the top three in MVP voting, including a pair of runner up finishes. Even though his 2019 debut season in St. Louis was not up to his normal lofty standards, Goldschmidt is giving the Cardinals faithful exactly what they anticipated this year.

Across the National League offensive leaderboard, you’ll find Goldschmidt’s name littered throughout. The 33-year-old leads the senior circuit with a .461 OBP and ranks fourth with a .333 batting average. Next. his 162 OPS+ currently ranks 10th in the National League.

As all National League fans know these numbers are nothing new for Goldschmidt. Since his rookie season in 2011, Goldy leads the NL with 247 homers. Next, he’s second with 821 RBIs and third with 299 two-baggers. Needless to say, nobody has done more damage at the plate over the last decade.

What may come as a surprise to some is that Goldschmidt is not afraid to swipe a base throughout his career. His 128 stolen bases are good enough for 12th place since 2011 with an 80% success rate while attempting to swipe a bag. Even though Goldschmidt doesn’t run as much as he did early in his career, he’s had five seasons in which he’s stolen 15 bases or more.

It’s been a golden era of first baseman in the National League over the last decade. Between Goldschmidt the Braves Freddie Freeman and Joey Votto of the Reds, you could spend hours debating who’s better and there would be no wrong answer. However, in the first year of his five year deal with the Cardinals, there’s no debate that Paul Goldschmidt will be terrorizing Reds Country for years to come.