Goldschmidt returns to carrying D-Backs with his ability at plate
Paul Goldschmidt got a fastball on the outside corner and nearly hit it out on Monday night, his drive down the rightfield line barely going foul in the sixth inning.
The next pitch he saw was a fastball in, a relatively well-located pitch from White Sox right-hander Miguel Gonzalez, and Goldschmidt turned it on, launching it into the left field seats for a solo homer.
The sequence reminded teammate Jorge De La Rosa of an at-bat he had against Goldschmidt years ago, the kind that makes pitchers wonder what, exactly, they can do in order to retire the Diamondbacks slugger.
“I was throwing him away, away, away, and I tried to surprise him inside and he hit the ball,” De La Rosa said, motioning in the direction of deep left field. “He can hit everything. He can hit change-ups, fastballs, sliders – whatever you throw to him. He’s a professional hitter. He’s a really tough out.”
Goldschmidt has never really been anything but a tough out in the majors, but after a year in which his numbers dipped slightly, he is back to producing at an elite level.
That his uptick in production has happened in lockstep with the Diamondbacks’ fast start probably isn’t coincidental. The club has had plenty of other things go right, as well, but to have Goldschmidt producing at – or even a little above – his career highs ranks near the top of the reasons why the Diamondbacks entered Tuesday with the secondmost wins in the National League.
Goldschmidt doesn’t offer much in terms of what’s changed from last year. This time a year ago, his average was hovering in the mid-.240s. He entered Tuesday hitting .315, and his .580 slugging is nearly 30 points better than his career best. He’s on pace for 38 homers; he hit just 24 last year.
“I’m just trying to do mostly the same stuff I’ve done,” Goldschmidt said. “I’m trying to hit the ball hard and see what happens from there. I don’t really have much for you. I go up there trying to have good at-bats and swing at the right pitches.”
Goldschmidt said he isn’t trying to be more aggressive, but the numbers tell a different story. His swing percentage is at 43.9 percent – slightly higher than his career average of 40.8 percent – and he’s been particularly aggressive on the first pitch, cutting it loose 30.3 percent of the time, up from 23.5 percent.
“Probably not seeing as many pitches per plate appearance, but when he’s getting pitches to drive early in the count he’s taking chances on them,” hitting coach Dave Magadan said. “I think it’s just an understanding of himself, knowing that he can be aggressive.”
Magadan thinks another factor is Goldschmidt’s new pregame routine. Before taking batting practice on the field, Goldschmidt has been hitting off a machine in the cage, something that, Magadan says, “forces guys to be mechanically correct.”
“I think the combination,” Magadan said, “of being a little more aggressive, tweaking his pregame and pre-batting practice routine has helped him to kind of catch balls a little more out in front and get them in the air to the pull side.”