Mar 11, 2019; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (46) doubles in two runs in the third inning of the spring training game against the Washington Nationals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Photo Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals
2018: The baseball world was alarmed when Goldschmidt began the season in a funk, purportedly incapable of catching up to a good fastball. On June 1 he was hitting .210 with seven homers and 71 strikeouts in 196 at-bats. But Goldschmidt found his stroke in an explosive June (.364, 10 home runs) and was a terror the rest of the way. His wRC+ of 144 was third in the National League.
Forecast: With free agency looming after 2019, the D-backs traded Goldschmidt to St. Louis in December. He has been a dependable blue-chip stock, posting an OPS+ of 125 or higher in his seven full seasons, but his cold streaks are lasting longer these days (he also struggled in September 2017) and he doesn’t run as often — his stolen bases declined from 32 to 18 to 7 the past three seasons.
2019 Projections: .288 avg., 35 doubles, three triples, 32 home runs, 96 RBIs, 94 runs, 10 stolen bases, 94 runs.
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