Paul Goldschmidt Is Proving He Still Has Plenty Left in the Tank
The 38-year-old first baseman appears to have caught a third wind in his illustrious career.
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For a couple years, it appeared that 2022 National League Most Valuable Player award was the last look we’d get at an elite-level Paul Goldschmidt.
In three full seasons since, he’s seen his wRC+ fall from 175 to 122, then to 100, then to 103. Though still productive, hardly that of a high-level contributor to a great lineup.
Fast forward to 2026, the veteran and future Hall of Famer is back to his elite ways with the New York Yankees. Through his first 91 plate appearances, the 38-year-old is slashing .269/.374/.551 with five home runs, 14 runs batted in, and a wRC+ of 160.
He’s not getting everyday playing time anymore, but he’s mashing when given the opportunity.
The Yankees took somewhat of a gamble bringing the veteran back after his 2025 campaign. Again, he was productive, but with the rise of first baseman Ben Rice, there was concern within the fan base that the platoon was still on.
Not only that Rice wouldn’t see a full array of plate appearances, but that the Yankees were platooning him with someone who, pun intended, couldn’t hack it quite like he used to.
That worry, as proven, was full of half-truths. However, what’s abundantly clear is that rumors of Goldschmidt’s demise were greatly over-exaggerated.
Not only is he staving off Father Time, he’s back to an elite-level producer.
Stats were taken prior to play on May 22.
Half Truth 1: Goldschmidt Isn’t Hacking it Like He Used to
What made the veteran first baseman so poplar in Arizona, then later St. Louis, was the calming presence he had in the lineup on a nightly basis.
Perhaps lost among the Freddie Freemans and Joey Vottos and Miguel Cabreras of the world, Goldschmidt was third in fWAR among first baseman in the 2010s. Playing in Arizona didn’t help his popularity on the national level, but that didn’t stop him from posting a 141 wRC+ for the decade.
His MVP season was something of a lifetime achievement award. Not that he didn’t deserve it, even though he wasn’t even the fWAR leader on his team in 2022. It just reads on his Baseball Reference page like an accolade cementing him as a Hall of Famer.
His 2026 wRC+ isn’t too far off what it was in 2022. Yes, that suggests he’s still got the capability to carry an offense.
The kicker, however, is he’s used rather sparsely. His 91 plate appearances span 26 games, with 50 coming against southpaws. Across those trips, he’s slashing .325/.460/.750 with a 232 wRC+. Four of his five homers are against lefties, and half his RBI production is off lefties as well.
However, he’s nowhere near his 127 career mark against righties.
He’s still hacking it like he used to, but in a different role. The Yankees have Goldschmidt in a platooning capacity, which has elevated his performance.
Half Truth 2: Rice Suffers From Platooning Role
Rice plays less frequently against lefties, sure, but they’ve hardly got kid gloves on him. He’s crushing the ball this year, including a somewhat controlled sample of opportunities.
In 56 plate appearances against southpaws, Rice has a 165 wRC+. While not the same level as Goldschmidt, that’s good for fifth among lefty bats with at least 30 plate appearances.
Rice’s emergence as someone who doesn’t need a platoon has catapulted him into a tier of truly elite bats. While his gaudy wRC+ is already worthy of praise, knowing he stays in there and does damage regardless of opposition elevates him as a player.
It’s like the final step in the evolution of a lefty hitter the MLB level: Are you a platoon or not? Rice is still part of one, technically, but it’s not because he needs it.
And even still, manager Aaron Boone lets him go against southpaws. But having a future Hall of Famer with a 232 wRC+ against lefties to turn to is never a bad thing. It’s because of that pairing that the Yankees have, by far, the highest first base wRC+ against lefties.
They also have the highest wRC+ in MLB out of first base regardless of pitcher handedness, but that’s neither here nor there.
What This Resurgence Means for Goldschmidt
In today’s game, it feels like a greater emphasis is put on youth. Lots of young players dominating the majors at ages we’re not used to seeing dominate.
We often think of older ballplayers in more of a mentorship role. Sure, they’ll get some playing time, but their main purpose is showing the young guys how to be a professional. Last year, you could argue that’s where Goldschmidt was most valuable to the Yankees.
Even though he played 146 games.
Him exploding in 2026, even if only against lefties, opens up a world of interesting possibilities for Goldschmidt. Not just for this year, but 2027 and perhaps beyond should he feel inclined.
He’s still a steady first baseman, but he’ll hang around MLB as long as his bat lets him. Teams are constantly looking for someone to handle left-handers. It’s a means to get young lefty bats to the majors faster. And, due to lefty pitchers being a weak-side platoon, those lefty bats still get a bulk of the playing time. Someone like the aforementioned Rice, for example.
Should Goldschmidt maintain a level of elite production against lefties across the full season, there’s a strong chance he’ll have several suitors this winter. As a result, he’ll prolong his career by at least another season.
It may still be fairly early, but the 38-year-old first baseman appears to have caught a third wind in his illustrious career.
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