Paul Goldschmidt could carry the Cardinals in shortened season

Paul Goldschmidt may be the deciding factor for the Cardinals in 2020.

Few sluggers have delivered as consistently as Paul Goldschmidt. From his earliest years in Arizona to his latest in St. Louis, Goldschmidt has always been a dominant force at the plate.

Three consecutive 30-home run seasons, RBIs constantly hovering around 100 and runs in the same ballpark, along with a batting average near .300. That is all a product of tremendous efficiency, missing fewer than 10 games in each year since 2015.

The value Goldschmidt brings to the plate is also matched by that in the field. The three-time Gold Glover has not lost his step at first base, with the best fielding percentage of all position players at .996. Last season’s success led the Cardinals all the way to the NLCS, where they fell to the World Series champion Nationals.

While we won’t see numbers quite like that this year, Goldschmidt’s impact will be largely the same, if not bigger. At 32 years old, a shortened season may actually come to benefit the ten-year veteran.

Regardless, very few people are discussing the Cardinals as competitors in 2020, possibly due to the fact that many consider Goldschmidt’s previous season to be a disappointment, with noticeable dips in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

A shortened season may be exactly what Goldschmidt needs to lead the Cardinals to playoff glory.

Even with those reductions, Goldschmidt was unquestionably the team’s best hitter. Now imagine if he sees a return to form in the new season and what that would mean for the Cardinals.

While one player can impact the outcome of a game, they can rarely do the same for a season when it comes to baseball. However, with only 60 games, individual players can have far greater impact than before.

If Goldschmidt plays like what we were used to in Arizona, that could very well be the one or two game difference that brings the Cardinals playoff success this year.