May 29, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (44) hits a double during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
On Thursday, I was doing my usual perusing through MLB.com when I came across the following headline:
"ASG debate: Rizzo or A-Gone at first in NL?"
I subsequently clicked on the article, written by Phil Rogers which you can read here, and proceeded to stew. Sure, Anthony Rizzo is a nice story, as Rogers points out and Adrian Gonzalez has been great for the Dodgers, but how can he barely mention the name of Paul Goldschmidt? Go ahead, look at the numbers. Goldschmidt has both men beaten in almost every single offensive category. I mean, I realize the Cubs and Dodgers dwarf the D’backs in terms of fan interest and tradition but to brush aside the player who has been the best at his position in the National League two of the last three seasons is insulting. The better headline would have been this:
"ASG debate: Goldy or A-Gone at first in NL?"
Rizzo is a fine player, but his numbers don’t match up to Goldschmidt’s and Gonzalez’s. The only category he leads both players in is stolen bases with nine compared to Goldy’s eight and A-Gone’s zero. I would put all three on par with one another defensively. Goldschmidt leads in runs scored, hits, home runs, RBI’s, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. Gonzalez gets the nod in doubles and batting average. Does it get any clearer as to who deserves to start the All-Star Game at this point? No wonder why smaller market folks complain that their guys get no respect.
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The ironic part is that Gonzalez has been a wonderful player throughout his career but has been largely overshadowed by circumstances. He was great in San Diego, flying under the radar for the smaller market Padres and has been overlooked in both Boston and Los Angeles due to other personalities. He is great first baseman. However, he should not be the All-Star Game starter. That honor belongs to Paul Goldschmidt. Perhaps Mr. Rogers would like to change his vote.