Fansided

Top 25 MLB players to watch in October

By Joshua Sadlock

SAN DIEGO, CA - SEPTEMBER 1: Clayton Kershaw (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - SEPTEMBER 1: Clayton Kershaw (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – SEPTEMBER 16: Paul Goldschmidt #44 of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits a two-run homer against the San Francisco Giants in the top of the first inning at AT&T Park on September 16, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – SEPTEMBER 16: Paul Goldschmidt #44 of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits a two-run homer against the San Francisco Giants in the top of the first inning at AT&T Park on September 16, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

24. Paul Goldschmidt

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is heading back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2011 season, where his team was eliminated in the NLDS despite his .438/.526/.813 slash line. Goldy is putting the finish touches on a typically great season, and is in the running for his first NL MVP award. He is hitting .308/.417/.587 with 35 home runs, 115 RBI and 17 stolen bases.

There is no player in the league who produces more quiet brilliance than the 30-year-old Goldschmidt. He may be the most underrated player in the league, and deserves much more national attention. If the Diamondbacks are able to move past the NL Wild Card Game, he will get just that. It’s hard to keep a player with a career .300/.400/.500 line a secret, but few baseball fans on the East Coast get a chance to see Goldschmidt more than once or twice a year unless they completely eschew sleeping.

The Diamondbacks have one of the best lineups in baseball, and will be one of the teams to beat in the National League if they can get to the NLDS. Arizona has no reason to be intimidated by the Los Angeles Dodgers given how well they have handled them in September. Goldschmidt has plenty of help around him in the lineup, but it all flows through him. Fans in Arizona already know he is a top-ten player in baseball, but this postseason could be the moment the rest of the country realizes it.

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