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Arizona Diamondbacks: Paul Goldschmidt Reaches Another Height

By Mark Brown

Aug 27, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt against the St. Louis Cardinals at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 27, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt against the St. Louis Cardinals at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks is rated as the top first baseman in the game by MLB.

For a very modest man, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks would simply shrug his shoulders once more. Eschewing the limelight as a bat does from light, Goldschmidt was cited, once again, for his achievements with the bat and glove.

Earlier this week, the MLB Network came out with its position rankings, and Goldschmidt was ranked first among major league first basemen in the game.

Because of the use of metrics, the criteria can be complicated. This rating takes into account player performances over the past several seasons, with an emphasis on the 2016 season. Additionally, there are some offensive and defensive metrics, both advanced and traditional, which go into the rating.

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“This guy is special, there’s no doubt about it,” said Sean Casey, an on-air personality for the MLB Network.  “When you go look at the full body of work, that’s why ‘The Shredder’ has Paul Goldschmidt at number one. You want to talk about a guy that uses the whole field? Paul Goldschmidt is a guy that pitchers fear, because how do you pitch him? He can go bridge all over the field, which is tough to do. Let’s the ball travel, [he’s] so good at his approach and what he does.”

In addition to Goldschmidt’s ranking, his Diamondbacks’ teammate Zack Greinke ranked 10th on MLB Network’s Top 10 Starting Pitchers Right Now! list last week.

Last season, Goldschmidt hit .297 in 158 games and sports a career .299 batting average for six major league seasons. With the glove, the 29-year-old native of Houston won two Gold Gloves and finished second in the National League MVP balloting to the Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen in 2013.

Next: Arizona Diamondbacks: Offensive Outlook for 2017

Rated behind Goldschmidt in MLB’s ratings were the following:

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