New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has flipped the script.
For a short while there, it appeared that Paul Goldschmidt was a prime candidate to be left off the New York Yankees' postseason roster.
The addition of Luis Garcia Jr. had completely clouded Goldschmidt's role, and it appeared that the impending returns of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton would make the former NL MVP rather disposable.
My, how things have changed.
Yes, Goldschmidt's at-bats have still been somewhat sparse since the arrival of Garcia at the MLB trade deadline, but with Judge and Stanton now both potentially out for the playoffs (or at least the Wild Card Series), Goldschmidt's value just increased exponentially.
Suddenly, Goldschmidt is now one of the Yankees' very best options against left-handed pitching, and he may get some starts in the playoffs now that Judge and Stanton are both on the shelf.
Goldschmidt has always mashed southpaws, owning a lifetime 1.006 OPS against them. This year, he is slashing .309/.404/.592 versus lefties, making him a must on New York's playoff squad.
It should also be noted that after a miserable month of July and after barely playing in August, Goldschmidt has gone 6-for-18 at the plate this month, so he is starting to rediscover his stroke as October draws near.
And with the Boston Red Sox — New York's likely Wild Card opponent — being loaded with left-handers, Goldschmidt will likely get significant playing time early on in the postseason.
In that scenario, Ben Rice would serve as the DH — a role that almost certainly would have gone to Stanton had he been available — and Goldschmidt will play over at first base. Garcia would then come off the bench as a pinch hitter against righties.
Goldschmidt's overall numbers this season look solid, as he is slashing .253/.316/.455 with 18 home runs and 50 RBI across 370 trips to the dish. Not bad for a 39-year-old.
However, a massive chunk of Goldschmidt's damage was done back in May and June, when he combined for 13 homers and 37 RBI and was a borderline All-Star.
Goldschmidt's production has nose dived since then, but he appears to be kicking it back into gear just in time for the playoffs.
And now that Judge and Stanton are both on the shelf, you can expect Goldschmidt to play a pivotal role.
