Concerns Mounting About Yankees' Paul Goldschmidt Amid Strange Start
With a .364 average and 0.6 bWAR over his first 110 plate appearances, veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has been everything the New York Yankees expected.
Or, at least, he's been almost everything.
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Goldschmidt has displayed a surprising lack of power during his torrid start, entering Sunday's doubleheader with only a single home run. The five-time Silver Slugger hasn't gone deep since March 29, the Yankees' second game of the season.
'I just try to hit the ball and just kind of let it do what it's going to do,' Goldschmidt told the New York Post.
New York Yankees first baseman Paul GoldschmidtRick Osentoski-Imagn Images
'But yeah, it's been a little bit different, results-wise,' the 2022 NL MVP added, 'but I haven't really tried to do anything different.'
Interestingly, Goldschmidt's 49 home runs in March/April games are his fewest of any month, only trailing the 50 he's hit during September/October games. He tallied just two homers in last year's first month-plus before crushing five in May.
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Still, the power outage is nothing new for Goldschmidt, whose 22 home runs last year marked his lowest over a full season since 2016. He's never gone an entire month without homering, though he's now only four games from making that a reality.
None of this is to say Goldschmidt has been disappointing. In fact, Outside of MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge, only outfielder Trent Grisham and designated hitter Ben Rice join Goldschmidt in the reliable bat category.
However, the Yankees need Goldschmidt to regain his home run stroke, especially amid the club's recent 9-9 stretch. Although Austin Wells, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Anthony Volpe have combined for 15 homers, they're also strikeout-prone hitters who struggle to reach base.
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Goldschmidt nonetheless remains on pace to reach his eighth All-Star Game. At his current rate, though, he may not have double-digit homers by the Midsummer Classic.
Related: Yankees Fans Waving White Flag on Former Top Prospect
Related: Aaron Boone Makes Major Lineup Decision Before Latest Yankees Loss
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