Paul Goldschmidt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Paul Goldschmidt |
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Goldschmidt with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021
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| New York Yankees – No. 48 | |||||||||||||||||
| First baseman | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: September 10, 1987 Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
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| debut | |||||||||||||||||
| August 1, 2011, for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |||||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) |
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| Batting average | .289 | ||||||||||||||||
| Hits | 2,056 | ||||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 362 | ||||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 1,187 | ||||||||||||||||
| Stolen bases | 169 | ||||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Paul Edward Goldschmidt (born September 10, 1987), often called "Goldy", is a professional baseball player. He plays first base for the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball (MLB). Before this, he played for the Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals. He has also played for the United States national baseball team.
Paul wasn't a top pick coming out of high school. He played college baseball for the Texas State Bobcats. The Diamondbacks chose him in the 2009 MLB draft. He started playing in the MLB in 2011. Later, he was traded to the Cardinals in 2018.
Goldschmidt has been an MLB All-Star seven times. In 2022, he won the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. He has also won two Hank Aaron Awards, four Gold Gloves, and five Silver Slugger Awards. His five Silver Slugger Awards are the most for any first baseman. In 2013, he led the NL in home runs and runs batted in (RBI). That year, he won his first All-Star, Hank Aaron, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger Awards. He also finished second for the NL MVP Award twice, in 2013 and 2015.
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Paul Goldschmidt's Early Life and College Baseball
Growing Up and High School Baseball
Paul Goldschmidt was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on September 10, 1987. He grew up loving the Houston Astros baseball team. His parents, David and Kim, met in New York. Paul and his two younger brothers were raised Catholic. His Jewish great-grandparents escaped Germany in 1938 before the Holocaust. Paul shared that he and his brothers learned about both sides of their family history.
His family moved from Wilmington to Dallas, then to Houston. This was because of a flooring company his family owns. He grew up in The Woodlands, Texas, near Houston. He played baseball for The Woodlands High School. In 2006, with Paul playing third base, his high school team won the Texas state championship.
College Baseball Career
After high school, Goldschmidt went to Texas State University. He played college baseball for the Bobcats. He was named the best hitter in the Southland Conference in 2008 and 2009. In 2009, he was also named the Southland player of the year. As a junior in 2009, he was a third-team All-American. He hit for a .352 average, with 18 home runs and 88 runs batted in (RBIs) in 57 games. Goldschmidt set new records for the Bobcats with 36 career home runs and 179 RBIs.
Paul Goldschmidt's Professional Baseball Journey
Starting in the Minor Leagues
The Los Angeles Dodgers first picked Goldschmidt in the 2006 MLB draft. But they knew he probably wouldn't sign with them. The Arizona Diamondbacks then chose him in the eighth round of the 2009 MLB draft. He signed with the Diamondbacks and got a $95,000 bonus.
The Diamondbacks sent Paul to the Missoula Osprey in the Pioneer League. In his first 74 professional games, he hit .334 with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs. His 18 home runs were a record for the Missoula team. The next year, he played for the Visalia Rawhide. He hit 35 home runs, the most for any Class A player. He was named an all-star and won the California League Most Valuable Player Award. He was also named the Arizona Diamondbacks Minor League Player of the Year.
In 2011, Goldschmidt played for the Mobile Bay Bears in the Southern League. He had a .306 batting average, 30 home runs, and 94 RBIs in 103 games. He led all minor league players in home runs and RBIs. After the season, he was again named the Diamondbacks' player of the year. He also won the Southern League's Most Valuable Player award.
Playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks (2011–2018)
His First Years in MLB (2011–2014)
The Diamondbacks brought Goldschmidt up to the major leagues on August 1, 2011. He got his first MLB hit on August 1. The next day, he hit his first MLB home run off San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum. In his first season, Goldschmidt batted .250 with eight home runs and 26 RBI in 48 games.
The Diamondbacks made it to the postseason in 2011. They played against the Milwaukee Brewers. In Game 3, Goldschmidt hit a grand slam, which is a home run with the bases loaded. This helped his team win their first game of the series. His grand slam was only the third by a rookie in MLB postseason history. The Diamondbacks lost the series in five games. Goldschmidt batted .438 with six RBIs in that series.
Goldschmidt started the 2012 season with the Diamondbacks. On June 1, 2012, he hit his first regular-season grand slam. Four days later, he hit another grand slam. In 2012, Goldschmidt played 145 games. He batted .286 with 20 home runs, 82 runs, 82 RBIs, 43 doubles, and 18 stolen bases.
Before the 2013 season, Goldschmidt signed a big contract with the Diamondbacks. It was for $32 million and covered the 2014 to 2018 seasons. He was chosen for the National League's All-Star team in 2013. On August 13, he hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning. Then he hit a walk-off home run in the eleventh inning to win the game. He hit a third grand slam on August 20, 2013. That season, he played 160 games, batting .302 with 36 home runs and 125 RBI. Goldschmidt finished second in the voting for the National League's Most Valuable Player Award. He led MLB with four walk-off hits in 2013.
Goldschmidt was the starting first baseman for the National League in the 2014 MLB All-Star Game. In 2014, he batted .300 with 19 home runs and 69 RBIs. On August 1, he was hit by a pitch. This broke a bone in his left hand and ended his season early.
Later Years with Arizona (2015–2018)
On June 10, 2015, Goldschmidt hit his 100th career home run. He was the sixth player on the Diamondbacks' all-time home run list at that time. Later that year, he was again the starting first baseman for the National League in the All-Star Game. In 2015, Goldschmidt batted .321 with 33 home runs and 110 RBIs. He won his second Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award. For the second time, he was voted runner-up for the National League Most Valuable Player Award.
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In 2016, Goldschmidt batted .297 with 24 home runs and 95 RBIs. He was chosen for the 2016 MLB All-Star Game.
On August 3, 2017, Goldschmidt hit three home runs in one game for the first time. This helped the Diamondbacks win 10–8. For the fifth time, Goldschmidt was named to the National League's All-Star Team. On September 13, 2017, he got his 1,000th career hit. Goldschmidt finished the 2017 season batting .297 with 36 home runs and 120 RBIs. After the season, he won his third Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award. He also finished third in voting for the National League Most Valuable Player Award.
In the 2017 National League Wild Card Game, Goldschmidt hit a three-run home run. This helped the Diamondbacks win 11–8. However, the Diamondbacks lost the next series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In May 2018, Goldschmidt had a tough time hitting. But he improved a lot in June. He recorded a .390 batting average between June 1 and July 3. In June, he won the National League Player of the Month Award for the first time. His great play earned him a spot on the All-Star Team for the sixth year in a row. On August 3, 2018, Goldschmidt hit his 200th career home run. He finished the 2018 season batting .290 with 33 home runs and 83 RBIs. He ranks second in Diamondbacks' history for games played, home runs, RBIs, hits, runs, and doubles.
Playing for the St. Louis Cardinals (2019–2024)
Joining the Cardinals and New Records
On December 5, 2018, the Diamondbacks traded Goldschmidt to the St. Louis Cardinals. In return, the Diamondbacks received several players.
On March 23, 2019, Goldschmidt signed a five-year contract extension with the Cardinals worth $130 million. This was the largest contract in the team's history at that time. In his second game with the Cardinals, he hit three home runs. He was the first player in MLB history to hit three homers in his first or second game with a new team.
On April 20, 2019, Goldschmidt hit a 465-foot home run. This was his longest career home run and the longest hit at Busch Stadium in the Statcast era. On July 26, 2019, he hit a home run in his sixth straight game. This tied the Cardinals' team record. Goldschmidt finished his first season as a Cardinal batting .260 with 34 home runs and 97 RBIs. He also had the best fielding percentage among all major league first basemen.
Recent Seasons with the Cardinals
In 2020, Goldschmidt played in 58 games. He batted .304 with six home runs and 21 RBIs. In October 2020, he had surgery on his right elbow.
On April 13, 2021, Goldschmidt hit his 250th career home run. He finished the 2021 season batting .294 with 31 home runs and 99 RBIs. He won the Gold Glove Award at first base. Five Cardinals players won this award that year, which was an MLB record.
On May 23, 2022, Goldschmidt hit a walk-off grand slam in the tenth inning to win the game. This grand slam extended his hitting streak to 15 games. During this streak, he hit .438 with 28 hits, 12 doubles, five home runs, and 22 RBI. No major league player had ever achieved all those totals in a 15-game span before. For the month of May, Goldschmidt was named the NL Player of the Month.
His hitting streak continued for 25 games, ending on June 4. Over these 25 games, he batted .424 with 24 extra-base hits and 36 RBI. This was the longest streak for a Cardinal since 2003. On July 5, 2022, Goldschmidt scored his 1,000th career run. On July 16, he hit his 300th career home run. He was the 153rd major leaguer to reach this milestone.
Goldschmidt was named the starting first baseman for the National League at the 2022 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He hit his first career home run in an All-Star Game. On July 23, he recorded his 1,000th career run batted in.
At the end of the 2022 season, Goldschmidt led the National League in several hitting categories. He won the 2022 NL Hank Aaron Award. He also won his fifth Silver Slugger Award, setting a new record for first basemen. On November 17, Goldschmidt won his first National League Most Valuable Player Award.
In 2023, after playing in the London Series, Goldschmidt became the first MLB player to play regular-season games in five different countries. These countries were the United States, Australia, Mexico, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
On July 26, 2024, Goldschmidt hit his 2,000th career hit. It was a two-run home run against the Washington Nationals. He became the 295th player in Major League history to reach 2,000 hits. He was also the 5th active player to achieve this milestone. In 154 games for St. Louis, Goldschmidt batted .245 with 22 home runs, 65 RBI, and 11 stolen bases.
Joining the New York Yankees
On December 30, 2024, Goldschmidt signed a one-year deal worth $12.5 million with the New York Yankees.
Paul Goldschmidt's International Baseball Career
Goldschmidt was chosen to play for the United States national baseball team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He shared time at first base with another player. Team USA went on to win the tournament.
On August 6, 2022, Goldschmidt announced he would play for the United States again in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Paul Goldschmidt's Personal Life
Goldschmidt met his wife, Amy, during his first year at Texas State University. They got married in October 2010. They have two children, a son and a daughter. Goldschmidt became an evangelical Protestant as an adult. In September 2013, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in management from the University of Phoenix.
Goldschmidt used to own a home in Scottsdale, Arizona, which he sold in 2020. That same year, he bought a home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
During his time with the Diamondbacks, Goldschmidt started a charity called "Goldy's Fund 4 Kids." This charity hosts bowling events to raise money for Phoenix Children's Hospital.
Images for kids
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Goldschmidt with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021
See also
In Spanish: Paul Goldschmidt para niños
- List of Arizona Diamondbacks team records
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
- St. Louis Cardinals award winners and league leaders
