Just some questions into his introductory Zoom name, Paul Goldschmidt supplied a scouting report on himself.
“I really just try to focus on the things I can control,” the Yankees’ new first baseman stated Thursday. “There’s a ton of ups and downs in this game.”
For Goldschmidt, a lot of final season represented a down, as he hit .245/.302/.414 with 22 residence runs, 65 RBI and a 1.1 fWAR over 154 video games for the Cardinals. Every a part of his slash line registered a career-low, as did his league-average 100 wRC+. With quite a few contact metrics additionally slipping for the second straight season, many questioned if age had caught as much as the 37-year-old Goldschmidt, the 2022 Nationwide League MVP, lengthy earlier than he agreed to a one-year, $12.5 million cope with the Yankees final month.
“I didn’t perform my best at all,” Goldschmidt, a seven-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger, acknowledged.
A lot of the right-handed swinger’s struggles got here within the first half, as he slashed .230/.291/.373 with 13 homers, 37 RBI and 114 strikeouts over 92 video games. Nevertheless, Goldschmidt made some adjustments to his mechanics and psychological method on the plate earlier than hitting .271/.319/.480 with 9 dingers, 28 RBI and 59 strikeouts over 62 contests within the second half.
Goldschmidt didn’t need to share too many specifics on the tweaks he made, however he famous that “something was a little off” along with his swing. That created “bad habits” and sometimes left him in a poor place to hit.
“I was just struggling to find that. It just took me longer than it ever has to get back to it,” Goldschmidt stated. “Trying different things, different drills, I kind of figured out some things that worked for me and some things that didn’t work.”
Goldschmidt, who described himself as a “simple hitter,” additionally felt that pitchers have been attacking him otherwise and that he was being too affected person. He hit with two strikes in 383 at-bats in 2024, setting a career-high.
“I didn’t play well most of the year last year, and there’s no excuses for that,” Goldschmidt stated. “That was on me. But looking back, I know there are a lot of things that I learned in that first half, some things that I did wrong that got exposed. I wasn’t hitting pitches that, for most of my career, I’ve been able to connect on.”
Goldschmidt, who started his profession with the Diamondbacks, repeatedly famous that he performed beneath his personal expectations final yr. However he’s additionally assured that the modifications he made can carry into his debut season with the Yankees — and assist him battle off Father Time.
“I think I can still play at a really, really high level,” stated Goldschmidt, who isn’t positive what number of seasons he has left earlier than retirement. “I was very honest with a lot of the media in St. Louis and anyone else who asked that I was just not performing well, but I think the good part of that is I was able to learn from it and make those adjustments and be ready to go this year.”
Whereas the Yankees would love a bounce-back from Goldschmidt after dropping Juan Soto’s bat to the Mets in free company, they’re additionally not anticipating the veteran to fully flip again the clock and hit like an MVP once more. In all honesty, a repeat of Goldschmidt’s 2024 marketing campaign would give the Yankees an enormous uptick in manufacturing at first base after the place, primarily manned by Anthony Rizzo, Ben Rice and DJ LeMahieu, netted the workforce a 76 wRC+, a -1.1 fWAR and an MLB-worst .619 OPS final season.
Rizzo, two years youthful than Goldschmidt, wished to stick with the Yankees. As an alternative, he stays a free agent after the workforce paid him a $6 million buyout following two injury-riddled seasons.
Goldschmidt additionally presents a defensive improve at first, although the four-time Gold Glover isn’t the fielder he was once both.
For all of the speak of his particular person sport on Thursday, Goldschmidt stated that he’s thrilled to be on a workforce with championship aspirations. The Yankees are coming off a World Collection loss to the Dodgers. In the meantime, the Cardinals did not make the playoffs the final two years.
As a first-time free agent, Goldschmidt stated that going to a workforce that may win the Fall Traditional was “the top priority” as he nears the top of his profession. He’s additionally trying ahead to enjoying alongside fellow MVPs Aaron Choose, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger because the Yankees attempt to stay a prime offensive workforce with out Soto.
“I’d love to play amazing, and I’d love for the team to play amazing and win the whole thing,” Goldschmidt stated. “I mean, that’s where my mindset is at. Of course I’d love to have a great individual year, but most importantly, it’s about the team. That’s always how I’ve been. Even just growing up, my parents wouldn’t have it any other way.”
