GOLDSCHMIDT v GOLDSCHMIDT….We’re here today to settle the Case of Goldschmidt v Goldschmidt. No….this isn’t a marital dispute like Kramer v Kramer. This case centers around the accusation that Paul Goldschmidt hasn’t lived up to the expectations of him. This case will be prosecuted by SR. Defending Mr Goldschmidt will be JE. She will be making the case that Goldschmidt has, in fact, lived up to expectations. Here we go….
SR…we will be making the case with salient statistics that Paul Goldschmidt has NOT lived up to his expectations when acquired by the Cardinals for 3 young talented prospects. A great deal was expected of him and….we just didn’t get it! Let’s get right to it….in 2019, comparing his personal numbers to HIS own 8 full seasons, Goldschmidt posted the lowest –batting average, OBP, slugging percentage, walk rate (11.4%), and BABIP (.302) of his seven years in 2019. Further, he recorded his second-highest strikeout rate (24.3%) of his career. How could we NOT be disappointed??!! These numbers speak for themselves!! In 2018 (year prior to the trade), when compared to other starting 1B of that year, he was 3rd in HR(33), 1st in OPS (.922), 2nd in OBP (.389), 1st in runs scored (95), 2nd in WAR with 5.4 and providing strong defensive play. Sooo…he fell off ..way off…dramatically…AFTER we acquired him.
JE….We can’t deny those figures but there are other factors….first of all, Mr. Goldy changed ball parks. He left Chase field that favors batters more than Busch. Chase Field was ranked #16 last year for most “friendly”to batters while Busch is #23 rated. Now as one considers the batting order, Marcel Ozuna batted behind Goldy most often. Ozuna batted .241 for the season. Paul DeJong also often batted behind Goldy…he was a .233 hitter. While both Ozuna & DeJong had nice HR numbers with 29 & 30 respectively,batters with that low of an average and that high HR total CAN be pitched to…just don’t make a mistake. Goldshcmidt had weak support batting behind him which meant he was “pitched around” often. Further, In the 2nd half of the season when games assume more relevance, Ozuna (batting behind Goldschmidt) batted .214. Sooo…what kind of pitches was Goldschmidt seeing then?
SR…soooo….he needed a small ball park with a loaded lineup, heh? We immediately signed him for 5 years $150m. Ya gotta be able to hit wherever you play….true Busch is a bit tougher than Chase…but Goldschmidt DID move into the NL Cen where the Cards have 38 games on the road against Cincy, Cubs, Mil, Pitt. That was an advantage for him. Those ballparks are rated as much easier to hit in than the NL West– (1 is the best to hit) Cincy #11, Mil #14, #17 Mil, #22 Wrigley…. On the other hand in the NL West Div –SF #30(hardest in MLB), San Diego #28, LA #24 and the mulligan, Denver #1. So, despite Busch being a tad tougher, his overall amount of games were played in much friendlier ballparks increased.
JE….. Goldschmidt must be commended highly for his reliability and his defense. Goldy played in 161 games last year (only 4 players played in all 162). This valuable asset is often ignored or overlooked. Defensively, we saw the weakest Cardinal defensive team in decades in 2018. With Goldy in 2019, the defense was clearly better! He often dug out throws in the dirt.
SR…..no doubt that he enhanced the defense for the Cards ..but ..he hasn’t had a gold glove since 2017. So has he slipped there also? Sooo….. Yes…he DID play every day but how productive was he? Judging from his numbers below…Maybe…he DID need a day off ?
In Apr/Mar -.348 avg, .866 OPS, 9 HR,19 RBI,—very good month
May -.293 avg, .744 OPS, 2 HR, 7 RBI, — good avg-but little else
June – .181 avg, .582 OPS, 3 HR, 5 RBI, — horrible
July – .308 avg, 1.085 OPS, 11 HR, 27 RBI—very strong
August -.250 avg, .705 OPS, 4 HR, 15 RBI –weak except moderate RBI’s
Sep/Oct -.269 avg, .954 OPS, 5 HR, 24 RBI – avg— so-so, HR OK ; RBI-great!
JE…..maybe too many fans expected WAY too much….maybe they thought that it was like Jim Edmonds, or Scott Rolen joining the club? Soooo.. there wasn’t any way that he could live up to that level..
SR….maybe..maybe.. the fans did begin comparing him to our “other” star acquisitions of the past decade or so. It seemed that Goldy would fall right in line as Jim Edmonds & Scott Rolen did in recent decades. Both were key players as the Cardinals reemerged as a post-season team in 2004. Edmonds played 8 seasons for the Cards. In that time, he blasted 241 HR (30/year); 713 RBI; won 6 gold gloves, averaged .285 and held an OPS of .947. Amazingly, he only played in 3 All-Star games. Those were really spectacular numbers for someone acquired at 30 years of age. Scott Rolen played 5+ seasons for the Cards. He averaged .286, hit 111 HR, OPS of .879, stole 33 bases. He was arrived in St. Louis as a 27 year old. He won 3 gold gloves and was in 4 All-Star games as a Cardinal. Some expected that Goldsmidt would again…like these earlier players ,obtained later in their career, lead us to the World Series. Goldschmidt tailed off last year and will continue to do so. He won’t be like Edmonds or Rolen.
……NOW…it’s YOUR TURN…..what’s YOUR verdict in Goldschmidt v Goldschmidt hype case?
….A suggestion for Goldy apart from this discussion… From my own point of view, Goldy wraps his bat around his neck too much. I’m sure that he’s used that stance his entire career. Yet….it seems to me…. that the arc of the swing is very long, maybe a bit too long. Probably, as a younger player, he could get that bat around on time..most of the time. With age, it may have slowed down just a mini-second…just enoughfor him to miss or foul off pitches. I wish that he’d move his hands further off of his back shoulder to assist him getting the bat into the batting zone quicker…but… he’s the pro and it is HIS career.
…If the DH is introduced to the NL league in this “unique”, different baseball season… it’ll be here to stay! I almost feel like the MLB is sneaking this major change in… under the radar.
….Moving on …Albert now wants to play another year after 2021?? His $314m lifetime earnings would indicate that he isn’t doing it for money. He’s way past his prime. He has only hit above .245 once in the last 5 years. In addition, he is unable to play every day… last year it was 135 games. He may end up…somehow, someway in St Louis in the waning days of his career for sentimental purposes ..but not for baseball purposes. I wouldn’t sign him.
…finally, with the passing of Don Shula, the NFL & all of football lost a legend in the coaching game. I won’t recite all of his tremendous coaching stats…but…I think of his long time QB Bob Griese.It seems to me that Griese is an earlier version of Tom Brady. Sooo…2 of the best…if not THE BEST coaches…Shula & Belichick(who is really good, even if you don’t like him). Both used similar QB to lead the offenses—good athletes, very intelligent football players, not great arms but accurate, Leaders, always stay poised, confident but not cocky, polished in fundamentals, read defenses like a toddler’s book, played to win not for stats.
….Anxious to hear YOUR thoughts on Goldschmidt v Goldschmidt…put them on FB or Prepcasts or send them to me.