Can of Corncast: Goldschmidt is a time-traveling first baseman from the 1960s
Jun 13, 2015, 3:30 PM | Updated: 3:30 pm
Paul Goldschmidt is the best player in baseball. Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart said it himself this week, and countless fans across the Valley agree with him, but does the rest of America?
Everywhere else it’s Mike Trout this and Bryce Harper that. Even Giancarlo Stanton is a household name and he changed it from Mike, something much less complicated to remember and spell. These guys are the cream of the MLB crop, so why isn’t Goldy up there with them? He has the stats and he has the power, but he does it all with a very humble and sometimes boring approach.
He isn’t the youngest top talent; he isn’t the most veteran All-Star either, but Goldschmidt is the quietest face of Major League Baseball. He doesn’t do endorsements on TV or radio, or even on the Jumbotron at Chase Field. He isn’t lashing out against opponents, teammates or his coaches in the media, and he almost never answers a question about himself without crediting his teammates.
Goldschmidt is a player from the 1950s and ’60s sent back in time to take over the modern game. He plays first base with a glove like Gil Hodges, he’s at the plate swatting homers like Harmon Killebrew and he’s as humble as Sandy Koufax. We aren’t just seeing one of 2015’s best players, we’re seeing an all-time great just starting to make his mark on baseball.
Some of us in fantasy baseball are lucky enough to keep him year in and year out. We know where he’s been and have yet to see the ceiling of where he can go. Here’s to another 100 homers and, heck, how about another 663 while you’re at it?!