Paul Goldschmidt holds top-5 spot in ESPN’s 2017 #MLBRank
Jun 30, 2017, 4:44 PM
Arizona Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt leans over the dugout rail as he waits to bat against Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood in the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 7, 2017, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt doesn’t get the national attention he deserves, but the folks at ESPN’s #MLBRank have been ranking him well the past few years.
For the second straight year, Goldschmidt was ranked fourth on the list.
Entering Friday’s game against the Colorado Rockies, Goldschmidt ranked first in the National League in RBI (66) and wins above replacement (4.2), second in OPS (1.035), fourth in batting average (.323), eighth in stolen bases (13) and tied for eighth in home runs (19).
On Doug and Wolf on 98.7 FM, Arizona’s Sports Station, D-backs manager Torey Lovullo talked about how much he goes under the radar on a national scale.
“I’m going to go right to the top: Paul Goldschmidt is absolutely underappreciated,” the skipper said. “I guess underappreciated by the rest of the league.
“This guy is absolutely one of the best players in both leagues, and on the East Coast you don’t really hear much about Paul Goldschmidt, which is frustrating to me.”
The players in the top-4 of the list remained the same from 2016. Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper placed third, Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw was second and Los Angeles Angeles outfielder Mike Trout ranked first.
