Diamondbacks’ Paul Goldschmidt collects 1,000th career hit

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt collected his 1000th career hit Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies, becoming only the second player in franchise history to tally more than 1,000 hits.

The first baseman trails Luis Gonzalez, who finished his career with 2,591 hits, 1,337 of which came during his tenure in Arizona.

The 1,000th hit came in the bottom of the third frame when Goldschmidt doubled for his second hit of the evening. He would score to put Arizona ahead, 3-0, on a J.D. Martinez double that followed.

Goldschmidt reaches the milestone as he continues to make his case for the National League MVP award in 2017. He finished as runner-up for the award in 2013 and 2015 behind the Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen and the Nationals’ Bryce Harper, respectively.

The first baseman, who celebrated his 30th birthday Sunday, is all over the National League leaderboards for hitting categories.

Prior to Wednesday’s action, Goldschmidt ranked fifth in OPS (1.008); fourth in WAR (6.1); third in runs (103) and RBI (112), fourth in walks (87); and tied for third in home runs (34). Goldschmidt’s 17 stolen bases also make him the only player in the majors this season with at least 30 home runs, 100 RBI and double-digit steals.

His road to 1,000 briefly stalled in early September when he missed five straight games because of an elbow injury. He returned to the lineup on Sept. 9 against the San Diego Padres.

Goldschmidt also has a couple of career-high totals he could reach in 2017.

After his 1,000th hit, he is four runs shy of eclipsing his 107 career-best runs scored in 2016, three home runs shy of passing his 36 home runs in 2013 and 14 RBI away from beating his 125 from 2015. His OPS of 1.010 would be a career-high.

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