Arizona Diamondbacks: No Doubt That Paul Goldschmidt Belongs In NL MVP Talk

Paul Goldschmidt

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks have scuffled quite a bit here in the second half of the season, surrendering the National League West lead and having a tough time making up ground, but that doesn’t mean that they haven’t seen plenty of success throughout their current roster.

When you talk about the Diamondbacks and a success story in 2013, the first name that you look to is obviously Paul Goldschmidt. A breakout candidate coming into the season, not many figured that Goldschmidt would have the season that he has. But he’s been an absolute star out of the desert.

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Goldschmidt started off the season on an absolute tear. His average isn’t quite as high as it was early on and midway through the year, but he’s still finding plenty of success so far this season. After seeing his batting average reach all the way up to .337 in June, it was pretty clear that he was the real deal as a contender for some accolades at the end of the year.

With a three hit, two home run performance earlier this week against the Baltimore Orioles, Goldschmidt showed how large of an offensive threat he can be, and why he absolutely deserves consideration with some of the league’s elite as a National League MVP candidate.

Goldschmidt has already shattered his career highs this year, with over a month to go in the regular season. He’s hitting .297 with an on-base percentage up near .400. He’s hit 29 home runs on the season, tops in the National League, as are his 93 runs batted in. His 5.3 WAR on the season ranks seventh in the National League.

Given his pure power numbers alone, along with his ability to get on base, add some steals, and play top notch defense at first base, Goldschmidt really is the total package as a franchise hitter, proving even more why the D-Backs got a steal in signing him to an extension earlier this year. He’s a lock to be in the mix for the NL MVP award at this point, and could very well take home some hardware if the Diamondbacks end up sneaking into the postseason.

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