Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt hasn’t necessarily been what fans expected, yet he’s exactly what the team needs.
Following the 2024 World Series, New York entered the offseason with an urgent need to address a detrimental issue at first base. The club had been handcuffed at the position ever since Anthony Rizzo collided with Fernando Tatis Jr. in May of 2023. In the nearly 300 games since, the Yankees maintained a measly .602 OPS among their first basemen – the worst mark in all of baseball.
The decision to decline Rizzo’s club option was a difficult but necessary move, and the Yankees filled the void by inking a one-year deal with Goldschmidt, the 2021 National League MVP with the St. Louis Cardinals. But at 37 years old and coming off a down year, skepticism surrounded Goldschmidt’s ability to turn back the clock and contribute to a Yankee offense that was desperate for bats after the loss of superstar outfielder, Juan Soto.
Roughly 30 games into the 2025 season, Goldschmidt has been far from the perennial 30-plus home run threat that he was in St. Louis. That’s not to say he’s regressed. Rather, he’s evolved into an on-base machine who would leave even Billy Beane speechless.
“You really see his experience, his moxie, and his situational awareness come into play,” manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday on the Talkin’ Yanks podcast. “He’s been a lot of fun to have around, and to watch him, just how prepared he is. We feel really good about what he’s been and, hopefully, what he continues to be moving forward for us.”
When examining Yankee box scores, it can be hard to shift focus away from Aaron Judge’s video game numbers. Judge currently boasts a .427 average, a remarkable 1.282 OPS (262 OPS+), and 10 homers, pacing the majors in nearly every offensive category.
But also stuffing the stat sheet – albeit a bit more modestly – is his teammate, Goldschmidt. Despite having just two homers to his name, the slugger wields an .878 OPS (151 OPS+) and is getting on base over 40% of the time. His .356 batting average and 14 multi-hit games rank second in the major leagues, solely behind the Yankee captain.
“Makes my job easier,’’ Judge said of Goldschmidt, following the first baseman’s 3-for-5, two RBI performance against the Cleveland Guardians on April 23.
While the results aren’t exactly what he’s accustomed to, Goldschmidt has maintained his same approach at the plate. He’s not swinging for the fences – he’s taking what the game gives him.
“I just try to hit the ball and just kind of let it do what it’s going to do,” Goldschmidt said. “But yeah, it’s been a little bit different, results-wise, but I haven’t really tried to do anything different.”
Described as a “professional hitter” by hitting coach James Rowson, Goldschmidt has thrived at the top of the Yankee batting order with a steady flow of sparkling line drives. He’s been particularly dominant in the leadoff spot, where he entered Wednesday’s contest against the Baltimore Orioles, slashing .375/.432/.500 in the one-hole.
The righty is also destroying any southpaw that tests him. In 29 at-bats against left-handed pitching, Goldschmidt is hitting .586 with an unfathomable 1.631 OPS. Both of his home runs have come off lefties – including a 109 mph, 425-foot solo shot that he crushed off Baltimore’s Cade Povich on Wednesday in the 5-4 loss.
“Any time you add Paul Goldschmidt into the mix – a former MVP,” Judge said after the game, also acknowledging outfielder Cody Bellinger, “good things are going to happen.”
