Paul Goldschmidt has been certainly one of baseball’s greatest gamers for over a decade. Seemingly Hall of Fame-bound, the 35-year-old St. Louis Cardinals first baseman boasts a profession 145 wRC+ to go along with a .296/.391/.527 slash line, 322 dwelling runs, and 55.9 WAR. A seven-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner, he’s been awarded 5 Silver Sluggers and is coming off a season the place he was voted National League MVP.
He’s been nearly as good as ever within the present marketing campaign. Over 186 plate appearances, Goldschmidt is slashing .319/.403/.546 with seven dwelling runs and a 163 wRC+. With the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2011-2018, he got here to St. Louis previous to the 2019 season in change for Carson Kelly, Luke Weaver, Andrew Young, and a aggressive stability choose.
Goldschmidt sat down to speak hitting when the Cardinals visited Fenway this previous weekend.
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David Laurila: Some guys are massive into hitting analytics, whereas others wish to preserve issues so simple as potential. Where do you slot in?
Paul Goldschmidt: “Somewhere within the center? I imply, you’ve bought to know your swing and also you’ve bought to know the pitchers, however when you get within the field, you’ve bought to see the ball and react. So for me it’s type of discovering that completely happy medium.
“I’m also always changing. I’m always adapting. I’m always trying to learn and get better. I don’t think there’s any time that you quite figure it out, you’re always trying to find whatever it takes to perform.”
Laurila: In which methods do you make the most of hitting analytics?
Goldschmidt: “The biggest thing for me is finding the why. Analytics are very good at telling you what is happening, but they don’t necessarily give you the answer to why something is happening, whether that’s fly ball rate, groundball rate, hard-hit ball rate, strike zone judgment — all those things. It’s good to identify things you’re doing well, or not doing well, but the real challenge in this game is the why. With that, you can make adjustments and hopefully perform to the best of your ability.”
Laurila: What tends to be the difficulty if you’re not going properly?
Goldschmidt: “It’s normally so simple as, ‘Am I swinging at the right pitches, and am I putting good swings on the ball?’ But once more, the why isn’t all the time apparent. Is it a timing concern, or is it truly a swing concern? Or are the pitchers simply pitching you a sure approach? Sometimes they’re simply higher than you, particularly on a given day.
“That’s the big question we’re trying to figure out every day: What do I have to do to perform? And what makes it hard is that it’s not always the same. Every game we try to do similar things, but one day it might be a three strikeout game, and the next day could be a three homer game. You could be trying to do very similar things and be getting very different results. Figuring out why one day is better than another is one of the tougher parts of the game.”
Laurila: So if you’re not going properly, it doesn’t are usually one explicit factor?
Goldschmidt: “I think the simplest thing is getting into a good position to hit, on time. That’s going to lead to seeing the ball better and swinging at the right pitches. Honestly, that’s the thing I’m working on every day. It’s just not always the same. The same thought doesn’t always work the same feeling, or match what you see on video.”
Laurila: What would I see if I in contrast video of your swing and setup over the course of your profession?
Goldschmidt: “It would be pretty similar, although when I first came up, I was a lot wider with my setup. But my keys are basically the same, and the swing is still the same. I’m still very simple in not having much movement. So the setup would probably be the biggest difference. As far as how the swing looks, going back even before pro ball, it would look pretty similar.”
Laurila: How about working with hitting coaches through the years? Different coaches clearly have completely different concepts.
Goldschmidt: “There are a lot of different ways to hit, so it’s about trying to learn and adapt. You figure out what you do well and what you struggle with. I’m always open to new suggestions. You try them out, and if they don’t work, you need to be ready to drop them. What works for someone else may not work for you, and vice versa.”
Laurila: Can you give an instance?
Goldschmidt: “It could just be a drill. One drill that a lot of guys are using is swinging a heavy bat. I’ve tried it at times when I’ve been struggling and it doesn’t really transfer. I haven’t seen it really improve my swing or my timing. We’re all trying to get to the same area, but again, the same keys, or drills, don’t always work for every guy.”
Laurila: A heavy bat is clearly for coaching functions, however what about what you’re swinging in video games. Has that modified in any respect?
Goldschmidt: “I used the same bat until the beginning of last year. I went to Marucci and did the testing they have there, and they made a slight adjustment. It’s very, very similar to the bat I’ve used my whole career, though.”
Laurila: What was the slight adjustment?
Goldschmidt: “It was 34 inches, 32 ounces. Now with the knob it’s 35, 33.”
Laurila: How does a unique knob affect your swing?
Goldschmidt: “They do a full-on testing — it probably took two to three hours — and the best way I can describe it is if you’ve ever gotten fit for golf clubs. You’re testing different models, lengths, weights… and again, everyone is different. The knob isn’t always the same effect for each guy. I’m not even sure on the particulars for me, I was just looking for the best bat.”
Laurila: If you have been blindfolded and handed three bats that have been comparable, but not precisely the identical, would you recognize which one was yours?
Goldschmidt: “I hope so. But I’ve never done that. Some guys are changing bats all the time based on feel, but I’ve basically used the same bat my whole career. Like I said, what I’m swinging now is very, very similar.”
Laurila: Who are a few of the guys you’ve most loved speaking hitting with over the course of your profession?
Goldschmidt: “I imply, our hitting coach now, Turner Ward, has taught me a lot. I discuss to him day-after-day. I had him all the best way again to Double-A, in Arizona with the Diamondbacks. Even when he was with different groups, he was a man I may all the time name.
“Tim Laker is another guy who had a huge impact for me. I got to play with J.D. Martinez in Arizona, and he taught me a lot. There are so many guys. I talk to everyone I can, trying to pick up anything I can.”
Laurila: What in regards to the man whose locker is subsequent to yours within the visiting clubhouse right here at Fenway? Based on the Talks Hitting interview I did with Nolan Arenado a couple of years in the past, his method is fairly easy and simple.
Goldschmidt: “Yeah, and we actually hit in a very similar way, so it’s been great to have him here the last two years. We speak the same language. Some guys are speaking about it a little differently, or have different feels, but he and I think about hitting the same way. It’s kind of, ‘Hey, I’m feeling this. What do you do when you’re feeling this in your swing, or when pitchers are doing this?’ That’s been helpful.”
Laurila: One final thing: Have you needed to make any changes as a result of age? At 35 years outdated, your physique isn’t the identical because it was if you have been 25…
Goldschmidt: “I think the biggest thing is trying to keep my body moving in the correct way, and staying strong. I need to keep moving efficiently so that I can do the things I was doing when I was 10 years younger. More of that happens away from the cage. I’m more in the weight room. What used to come a little bit more naturally… I mean, when you’re younger, you can just kind of roll out of bed and your body is moving like you want. When you get older, it takes a little bit more work. But it can be done, for sure.”
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Earlier “Talks Hitting” interviews can discovered by these hyperlinks: Jo Adell, Jeff Albert, Greg Allen, Nolan Arenado, Aaron Bates, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, JJ Bleday, Bobby Bradley, Jay Bruce, Matt Chapman, Michael Chavis, Gavin Cross, Jacob Cruz, Nelson Cruz, Paul DeJong, Josh Donaldson, Brendan Donovan, Donnie Ecker, Rick Eckstein, Drew Ferguson, Justin Foscue, Michael Fransoso, Ryan Fuller, Joey Gallo, Devlin Granberg, Andy Haines, Mitch Haniger, Robert Hassell III, Nico Hoerner, Rhys Hoskins, Eric Hosmer, Tim Hyers, Connor Joe, Josh Jung, Jimmy Kerr, Heston Kjerstad, Steven Kwan, Trevor Larnach, Doug Latta, Evan Longoria, Michael Lorenzen, Gavin Lux, Dave Magadan, Trey Mancini, Edgar Martinez, Don Mattingly, Hunter Mense, Owen Miller, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Daniel Murphy, Logan O’Hoppe, Vinnie Pasquantino, Brent Rooker, Drew Saylor, Trevor Story, Fernando Tatis Jr., Spencer Torkelson, Mark Trumbo, Justin Turner, Trea Turner, Josh VanMeter, Robert Van Scoyoc, Chris Valaika, Zac Veen, Alex Verdugo, Mark Vientos, Matt Vierling, Luke Voit, Anthony Volpe, Christian Walker, Jared Walsh, Jordan Westburg, Jesse Winker, Mike Yastrzemski, Nick Yorke, Kevin Youkilis
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