The 2022 campaign was a stellar one for Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. The seven-time All-Star turned in an impressive season for St. Louis and one of the league’s top infields. Heading into the 2023 season, expectations will once again remain high for the 35-year-old infielder.
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A Look at Goldschmidt
Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt turned in a very strong 2022 campaign for a St. Louis team that won the NL Central. Across 151 games, Goldschmidt hit .317/.404/.578 with 35 home runs and 115 RBIs. Goldschmidt’s incredible season won him both the NL Hank Aaron Award and NL MVP.
Among first baseman, Goldschmidt didn’t lead the league in the major categories. Although the Cardinals 1B led all of baseball in SLG (.578) and OPS (.981), Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman led all first basemen in batting average (.325). Mets 1B Pete Alonso, meanwhile, led all players at the position in both home runs (40) and RBIs (131).
Despite those facts, Goldschmidt still finished the 2022 campaign as arguably the best first baseman in fantasy last season. Out of the 23 players that hit 30+ home runs last season, Goldschmidt ranked first in batting average (.317). Not to mention, the Cardinals first baseman ranked third in that group in runs scored (106) and first in hits (178). In terms of overall production, Goldschmidt was truly elite.
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Goldschmidt is set to start 2023 at the age of 35. It’s fair to wonder about regression for the Cardinals first baseman, but the reigning NL MVP showed no signs of it last season. A career .295 hitter, Goldschmidt is one of the league’s best in terms of pure contact ability and power.
It’s fair to expect another season in which Goldschmidt hits at least .290; in fact, the Cardinals infielder has hit that mark nine times over the past 10 seasons. Plus, Goldschmidt has had seven 30+ home run seasons in the past decade. Very few have proved to be as reliable and consistent from a fantasy perspective as Goldschmidt.
Surrounded by a strong Cardinals lineup, it’s fair to expect another season in which the seven-time All-Star accumulates around 100 RBIs. “Goldy” should be a first-round pick, and the probable first 1B to be taken in fantasy drafts.
