The Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks@LosDbacks) announced that Paul Goldschmidt was named the winner of the 2018 Luis Gonzalez Award, which is given annually to the D-backs player who best exemplifies the talents, spirit and heart of the D-backs legend both on and off the field, as voted by his teammates, coaches and staff members.
 
Goldschmidt will be presented the award by Gonzalez during a ceremony prior to tomorrow's game.
 
"Paul Goldschmidt is an MVP both on the field and off," said Gonzalez, Senior Advisor to the President & CEO. "While his talents as a player often go unnoticed by the national media, so does his approach to giving back and that is by design. He never wants the recognition or the attention but he is a true leader for our team and the community."
 
Goldschmidt, like Gonzalez, has become a perennial MVP candidate and this season ranks among NL leaders in OPS (2nd, .937), on-base percentage (4th, .393), slugging percentage (5th, .543) and home runs (T-5th, 33). He ranks second all-time in franchise history with 1,088 games, 708 runs, 1,179 hits, 267 doubles, 209 home runs and 710 RBI, trailing only Gonzalez in each category. Goldschmidt was named to a franchise-record sixth All-Star Team in 2018, one more than Gonzalez and Randy Johnson (5 each).
 
Off the field, Goldschmidt has established himself as one of the city's most charitable athletes and was recently named the D-backs nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award for the fifth consecutive season. Since his Major League debut in 2011, Paul and his wife Amy have supported Phoenix Children's Hospital in numerous ways, including serving as registered volunteers, launching Goldy's Fund 4 Kids in 2014 - a charitable fund that supports projects at PCH and chairing the first-ever Champs for Children event, which raised money for the hospital and celebrated the patients who embody the spirit of a champion. This past offseason, Paul and Amy hosted the second annual Goldy's Bowling Bash to raise money for PCH and the event was well-attended by professional athletes and local celebrities. The Goldschmidts were also named honorary chairs for the Hope Lives Here capital campaign to raise funds for the building of the new Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at PCH and in addition to their personal $1-million gift, Paul and Amy have raised more than $1 million dollars. 
 
In addition to his work with Phoenix Children's Hospital, Paul has chaired events and organizations including Chrysalis, a non-profit domestic violence shelter, and assisted Soldier's Best Friend, a local non-profit that pairs veterans with adopted animals and then certifies them as a service animal. After graduating from University of Phoenix in 2013, Goldschmidt provides full-tuition scholarships for students wanting to continue their education at University of Phoenix. Paul and Amy personally select the finalists to receive the award and present the scholarships at a D-backs game.
 
One of the most popular figures in Arizona Diamondbacks history because of the way he interacted with fans and his game-winning single in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series to give the organization its first world championship, Gonzalez became the first former player to have his number retired by the D-backs during a pregame ceremony in 2010. 
 
LUIS GONZALEZ AWARD WINNERS
 
YEAR | NAME
2015 | Paul Goldschmidt
2016 | Chris Owings
2017 | Paul Goldschmidt
2018 | Paul Goldschmidt