JUPITER, Fla. -- Paul Goldschmidt had just wrapped up a skull session with rookie Juan Yepez, a two-hit day at the plate and a performance in the field that saw him use his Gold Glove skills to deftly dig two balls out of the dirt. However, the work was far from being done for the Cardinals' unassuming All-Star.
Beyond the right-field fence and the Cardinals' team offices at Roger Dean Stadium sits an artificial turf field that players use occasionally for bunting practice or infield work. On this day, it was where Goldschmidt would be pitching to son Jake and shagging balls while he and wife, Amy, playfully chased the seven-year-old slugger around the bases.
Goldschmidt, a six-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner and four-time Silver Slugger, wasn’t the least bit tired, and if he was he certainly wasn’t showing it. Instead, he was having the time of his life.
“That’s the best part of the day,” Goldschmidt said without hesitation, shedding his usually stoic demeanor and flashing a smile. “It’s awesome to get that opportunity. I’m not going to play forever and he’s not always going to get to come to the fields, and it’s just fun for all of us. He has fun, my wife, my daughter and I do, too. We just enjoy time together and [I] enjoy that part of the job.”
Goldschmidt, 34, has enjoyed himself this spring with six hits, an eye-popping 1.683 OPS in six games and a second long home run on Saturday in the Cardinals 9-2 loss to the Marlins. Fresh off a 2021 performance in which he hit at least 30 home runs (31) for a sixth time and nearly topped 100 RBIs (99) for a fourth, Goldschmidt already looks in midseason form for a Cardinals squad that has designs on winning its 12th World Series.
Minutes after MLB’s 99-day lockout ended on March 10, Goldschmidt was the first to call new St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol to discuss the expectations for the season. In so many words, Marmol said Goldschmidt was the first to express the sentiment that the Cardinals will consider the season a disappointment if they don’t contend.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from this group,” Goldschmidt said of the squad that opened Spring Training 4-0. “We knew guys would be ready.”
Goldschmidt has been ready and willing to be a leader for the Cardinals for three seasons -- both on and off the field. Incredibly humble and a guy known to shy away from the spotlight, Goldschmidt prefers to operate behind the scenes in his own understated way. Throughout camp, the 11-year veteran has willingly worked alongside the 24-year-old Yepez to try and teach him the finer points of playing first base. Marmol marvels at Goldschmidt’s willingness to give to others.
“This is a high-character individual who really cares about others,” Marmol said. “You can say that about a lot of people, but this guy truly cares about others more than himself. He’s always wanted to pass on what he knows and what made him successful. He does a phenomenal job -- peer-to-peer and with that younger group. He’s intentional about spending time with people, and I love Goldy.”
Goldschmidt hopes that imparting his baseball knowledge on others -- whether it’s his son, Jake, or young teammates like Yepez -- is part of his legacy. While Goldschmidt clearly takes great pride in what he does between the lines, he wants to be thought of as someone who gave to others and was a great teammate. After all, it was great teammates who helped him become one of the game’s elite sluggers when he was coming up with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“I had a ton of guys who helped me, so I’m just trying to help others the same way,” said Goldschmidt, who credited Willie Bloomquist, Geoff Blum, Lyle Overbay and Xavier Nady for being influential in his career. “I’d say in my first three weeks in Major League camp, I learned more than I did in three Minor League seasons. Those guys deserved a lot of the credit for [my success], so I definitely try to share what I know.”
What Goldschmidt wants to share most with teammates is a World Series victory. St. Louis reached the NLCS in his first season as a Cardinal and lost the first-round series each of the past two years. If the Redbirds can recapture the magic of last year's historic 17-game winning streak, Goldschmidt sees no reason why they can’t win it all.
“When you’re in [a winning streak], it’s the last thing you think about,” he said. “When I was asked about it, I realized how incredible it was because we had some great wins. … Now, we’ve got a new group and we haven’t won anything. We start from zero and we’ve got to earn every win. That’s where the mindset is.”