Venom Strikes
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Who could be the next Diamondbacks representative in the Hall of Fame?

By Jake Oliver

COOPERSTOWN, NY - JULY 29: Hall of Famer Randy Johnson is introduced during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Clark Sports Center on July 29, 2018 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
COOPERSTOWN, NY - JULY 29: Hall of Famer Randy Johnson is introduced during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Clark Sports Center on July 29, 2018 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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Paul Goldschmidt Arizona Diamondbacks
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 20: Paul Goldschmidt #44 of the Arizona Diamondbacks bats in an MLB baseball game against the New York Mets on May 20, 2018, at CitiField in the Queens borough of New York City. Mets won 4-1. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /

America’s First Baseman hopefully represents the Dbacks in the Hall in 15 years or so

Who else did you expect to most likely represent the Dbacks in the Hall of Fame than the man who defined the Dbacks for an entire generation of fans? Paul Goldschmidt redefined the notion of “don’t let what others say affect you”. He was told during the draft time and early minor league career that he wasn’t going to be good enough. He just didn’t have the talent.

So, what did he do? He worked harder and tirelessly until he reached the MLB as an unknown prospect. Then, he continued working even harder while in the MLB. He redefined the modern first baseman in the MLB. He combined speed, power, contact, patience, and fielding into being a first baseman, the position that usually has the guys who can’t field or run.

He led the Dbacks for 8 years. In those 8 years, he hit .297, .398, .532 with 209 HRs, 710 RBI’s, 124 SB’s, 267 Doubles, 655 walks, and 1059 K’s. Steals were no issue as he stole over 30 in a single season. The OPS+ was 145. Goldy had 6 All-Star selections, most of which were starting selections, 5 top-11 MVP voting (including 4 top-6 finishes), 4 Silver Sluggers, and 3 Gold Gloves. That 8-year peak gave him 39.9 WAR. It’s clear that he absolutely had his best years with the Dbacks.

That’s not to say that he’s fallen off since going to St. Louis. Over his 3 seasons (technically 2 1/2 due to 2020), he’s hit .277, .360, .478, 170 walks, 326 K’s, 64 HR’s, 200 RBI’s, and 65 Doubles.

With probably 5+ years left in the Majors, he should have no issues reaching 400+ HRs and 1200+ RBI’s. Goldy is basically Jeff Bagwell 2.0 as their numbers from their age 23-30 season are insanely similar. In case you forget, Bagwell is a Hall of Famer.

According to JAWS, he’s only about 17 WAR away from being a certain Hall of Famer. Hall of Fame Monitor says he’s only 27 points below being a Hall of Famer. I’m almost positive that Goldy will be in the Hall of Fame. Hopefully, he represents Arizona. I have faith he will.

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Now, you may be wondering why I didn’t include Ketel Marte. He just hasn’t shown nearly enough yet. Give him a few more years.

May there be many more Hall of Fame-caliber players to come to the Dbacks soon.

As always,

May the Force be with You…

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