Paul Goldschmidt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Paul Goldschmidt |
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Goldschmidt with the New York Yankees in 2025
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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 July 25, 2025) |
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| Batting average | .289 | ||||||||||||||||
| Hits | 2,158 | ||||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 370 | ||||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 1,224 | ||||||||||||||||
| Stolen bases | 174 | ||||||||||||||||
| 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), known as Goldy, is an American professional baseball first baseman. He plays for the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball (MLB). Before joining the Yankees, he played for the Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals. He has also played for the U.S. national team in international games.
Paul wasn't heavily recruited out of The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas. He played college baseball for the Texas State Bobcats. The Diamondbacks chose him in the 8th round of the 2009 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with them in 2011. He was traded to the Cardinals in late 2018.
Goldschmidt has been an MLB All-Star seven times. He won the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 2022. 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
Paul Goldschmidt was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on September 10, 1987. He grew up as a fan of 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 and grandfather escaped Nazi Germany in 1938 before the Holocaust. Goldschmidt shared that he and his brothers learned about both sides of their family history.
His family moved from Wilmington to Dallas, then to Houston, because of their flooring company. He grew up in The Woodlands, near Houston. He played baseball for The Woodlands High School. In 2006, with Goldschmidt playing third base, The Woodlands team won the Texas state championship.
College Baseball Career
Goldschmidt went to Texas State University to play college baseball for the Bobcats. He was named the Southland Conference Hitter of the Year in 2008 and 2009. In 2009, he was also 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.
Professional Baseball Journey
Drafted and Minor Leagues
The Los Angeles Dodgers first picked Goldschmidt in the 49th round of the 2006 MLB draft. They knew he likely 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 received a $95,000 bonus.
The Diamondbacks sent Goldschmidt to the Missoula Osprey in the Rookie-level Pioneer League. In his first 74 professional games, he hit .334 with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs. His 18 home runs set a new record for the Missoula team. The next year, he played for the Visalia Rawhide in the Class A-Advanced California League. 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 chosen as the Arizona Diamondbacks Minor League Player of the Year.
In 2011, Goldschmidt played for the Mobile Bay Bears in the Class AA Southern League. By the end of July, 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 received several other all-star and MVP awards.
Arizona Diamondbacks (2011–2018)
Making His MLB Debut
The Diamondbacks brought Goldschmidt up to the major leagues on August 1, 2011. He got a hit in his very first MLB at-bat on August 1. The next day, he hit his first MLB home run off San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum. Goldschmidt struggled with strikeouts early on. In his first season, he 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 the 2011 National League Division Series (NLDS). In Game 3, Goldschmidt hit a grand slam to help his team win their first game of the series. This was only the third grand slam by a rookie in MLB postseason history. The Diamondbacks lost the series in five games. Goldschmidt played well, batting .438 with six RBIs.
Becoming an All-Star
Goldschmidt made the Diamondbacks' Opening Day roster in 2012. He hit his first regular-season grand slam on June 1, 2012. 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 contract with the Diamondbacks. He was chosen for the National League team in the 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. On August 13, he hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning. He then hit a walk-off home run in the eleventh inning to win the game. Goldschmidt hit a third grand slam on August 20, 2013. In 160 games that season, he batted .302 with 36 home runs and 125 RBI. He 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 broke a bone in his left hand after being hit by a pitch. This injury ended his season early.
Continued Success
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. Goldschmidt batted .321 with 33 home runs and 110 RBIs in 2015. He also won his second Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award. For the second time, he was the 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 a single 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 recorded his 1,000th career hit. Goldschmidt finished the 2017 season batting .297 with 36 home runs and 120 RBIs. 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 start, batting only .096. But he improved greatly in June, batting .390. In June, he won the National League Player of the Month Award for the first time. His strong 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.
St. Louis Cardinals (2019–2024)
On December 5, 2018, the Diamondbacks traded Goldschmidt to the St. Louis Cardinals.
First Seasons with Cardinals
On March 23, 2019, Goldschmidt and the Cardinals agreed to a five-year contract. This was the largest contract in the team's history at the 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 June 21, 2019, he hit a foul ball that flew out of the stadium, a first for the current Busch Stadium. On July 26, 2019, Goldschmidt hit home runs in six straight games. This tied a Cardinals team record. He 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.
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 the Gold Glove that year, which was an MLB record.
MVP Season and Milestones
On May 23, 2022, Goldschmidt hit a walk-off grand slam in the tenth inning to win the game 7–3. This grand slam extended his hitting streak to 15 games. During this streak, he batted .438 with 28 hits, 12 doubles, five home runs, and 22 RBI. For the month of May, Goldschmidt led the major leagues with a 1.288 OPS and 33 RBI. He 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 hitting streak for a Cardinal since 2003. Goldschmidt reached base safely in 46 games in a row, a streak that ended on June 11, 2022.
In two games on June 14–15, 2022, Goldschmidt got nine hits in 12 at-bats. He had four home runs, six runs scored, and nine RBI. On June 21, he won his fourth Player of the Week award. On July 5, 2022, Goldschmidt scored his 1,000th run. On July 16, he hit his 300th career home run. He was the 153rd major league player to reach this milestone.
Goldschmidt was named the starting first baseman for the National League at the MLB 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 slugging percentage and OPS. He ranked second in RBIs and total bases. His .317 batting average and 35 home runs were also among the league leaders. Goldschmidt won the 2022 NL Hank Aaron Award. He also received 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.
Playing in New Countries
After playing in the 2023 London Series, Goldschmidt became the first MLB player to play regular-season games in five different countries. He had played in the United States, Australia, Mexico, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
On July 26, 2024, Goldschmidt hit his 2,000th career hit. This was a two-run home run against the Washington Nationals. With this hit, 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 in 2024, Goldschmidt batted .245 with 22 home runs, 65 RBI, and 11 stolen bases.
New York Yankees
On December 30, 2024, Goldschmidt signed a one-year deal worth $12.5 million with the New York Yankees.
International Baseball Career
Goldschmidt was chosen for the United States national baseball team for the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He shared time at first base with Eric Hosmer. Team USA went on to defeat Puerto Rico in the championship game, winning their first-ever World Baseball Classic title.
On August 6, 2022, Goldschmidt announced he would play for the United States again in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. In seven games, he batted .280 with one home run. Team USA reached the championship game for the second time in a row but lost to Japan.
Paul Goldschmidt's Personal Life
Goldschmidt met his wife, Amy, during his first year at Texas State. They married in October 2010. The couple has two children, a son and a daughter. Goldschmidt became a Protestant as an adult. He has Jewish, Catholic, and German family history. In September 2013, Goldschmidt 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 has held bowling events to raise money for Phoenix Children's Hospital.
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 people from Wilmington, Delaware
- List of Texas State University alumni
