The 2018 MLB regular season is almost upon us, and these players are aiming to save the day for their teams.
After a brutally long and somewhat tenuous offseason, the handful of stars on this year’s free agent market finally found their new baseball homes. Jake Arrieta got a mulit-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies and Lance Lynn signed a one-year deal with the up-and-coming Minnesota Twins. Those two will play a big part in trying to get their respective teams into the postseason.
Other players like Chris Archer and J.T. Realmuto, who are playing for bottom-feeder teams, will potentially be raising their trade stock before the July trade deadline roles around.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Paul Goldschmidt
This one is pretty obvious. Paul Goldschmidt has long been one of the more underrated players in the major leagues. He’s been an elite force in baseball since 2012 and has been named an all-star for five straight season from 2013 to 2017. But for some reason, he’s not household name like other star players posting similar numbers.
He was only an eighth round draft pick back in 2009. Since then, he’s exceeded all expectations. He made his rookie debut in 2011 for the Diamondbacks, hitting .250 with eight homers in just 48 games. The 2012 season was his first full year in the league, and there’s a case to made that he should have been an all-star that year.
For his seven-year career, he’s slashed .299/.399/.532 with 176 homes runs and 627 RBI. Even more impressive, he’s stolen 117 bases. For a first baseman, that’s quite the added bonus. He’s solid defensively as well, making him one of the most well-rounded players in the league.
Losing out on the J.D. Martinez sweepstakes means Goldschmidt will be the Diamondbacks’ best power-bat in 2018. Last season, he matched his career-high with 36 long balls.
At 30 years old, Goldschmidt is still in the prime of his career. He’ll continue to be the face of the franchise. The team will need a lot of help along the way if they want to make the postseason again. But they’ll be able to count on Goldschmidt being an MVP-caliber player.