ESPN: D-backs’ aggressive baserunning could propel Goldschmidt to the 30-30 club
May 29, 2017, 10:00 AM | Updated: 12:00 pm
Forty games through the D-backs’ 2017 season, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt had 10 home runs and nine stolen bases, a pace that would have gotten him very close to joining the coveted 40-40 club.
Since then, Goldschmidt has three stolen bases and hit one home run in 12 games. His home run pace has not kept up, but he has not missed a beat on the base paths.
Goldschmidt is just one D-back who is benefiting from manager Torey Lovullo’s aggressive strategy on the bases.
In his ESPN article, Doug Mittler explains this aggressive approach could help Goldschmidt get into the 30-30 club.
As for Goldschmidt’s shot at achieving 30-30 in 2017, he has a few factors in his favor. First, there’s the D-backs’ take-no-prisoners approach on the basepaths. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Snakes are the runaway leaders in successful double steals under first-year skipper Lovullo, following a philosophy also employed by dismissed predecessor Chip Hale.
Those double steals have helped propel the D-backs into first in MLB at stealing third with 14 successful tries.
If Goldschmidt could break into the 30-30 club, he would be the first player to reach the milestone since Ryan Braun and Mike Trout pulled it off in 2012, and just the second first baseman to ever do it (Jeff Bagwell in 1997 and 1999).
Goldschmidt is listed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, not your prototypical base stealer. But his sneaky speed along with the D-backs’ aggressive approach could make him the first member of the 30-30 club in five years.