How good is Paul Goldschmidt?
Aug 26, 2011, 5:07 PM | Updated: 7:28 pm
Just how good is Paul Goldschmidt? That is the question fans and baseball minds alike have been wondering since he was called up to the Majors back at the beginning of August.
The first baseman wasn’t really viewed as a legitimate big league prospect by those around baseball until recently despite tearing the cover off the ball at every level. He never hit below .306 in the minors and never hit fewer than 18 home runs. Prior to being called up by the Diamondbacks, he had 30 home runs and 94 RBI in just 103 games with the Double-A Mobile Bay Bears.
While he may have had his doubters along the way, he’s starting to make believers of them with his performance as a member of the D-backs.
In his first 65 at bats with the club his raw power has been on display. While his average is slightly lower than one would like to see (.264), he’s still hit five home runs and has collected 13 RBI. If he hits at that pace for an entire 162 game season he’d finish with roughly 40 home runs and 100 RBI.
The most impressive part of his five homers this season? Just how far he’s crushed them. Despite facing Major League pitching for the first time, Goldschmidt’s bombs have gone an average of 422.8 feet this season. Even more impressive? He hasn’t hit one less than 400 feet.
If Goldschmidt can hit at this pace for an entire season, the sky is the limit for what he can do as a member for the D-backs. For an organization who has spent the better part of its existence searching for an everyday power hitting first baseman, that has to be music to their ears.
