Cardinals First Baseman Paul Goldschmidt Deserves More Respect in NL MVP Consideration
By Ben Heisler
When a Major League hitter is in the midst of a 15-game hitting streak, that's traditionally enough for a celebration.
Then, there's St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt's 15-game hit streak. Since May 7, Goldschmidt is hitting .438, slugging .859 with an OPS of 1.315! His latest stretch isn't just good, it's historic. Via Stats by STATS, no other player in Big League history since RBI became a stat in the 1920s has ever recorded more hits, doubles home runs and RBI over a 15-game stretch.
Paul Goldschmidt during his 15-game hitting streak for the @Cardinals:
— Stats By STATS (@StatsBySTATS) May 24, 2022
28 hits
12 doubles
5 home runs
22 RBI
Since RBI became an official stat in 1920, no other MLB player has reached all of those numbers over any 15-game span.
Right now at WynnBET Sportsbook, the hottest hitter on the planet is still considered a dark horse candidate to win the National League Most Valuable Player?
How can that be?
Before we dive in, let's take a quick look at the latest odds for NL MVP.
Odds to win National League MVP
- Manny Machado +275
- Nolan Arenado +550
- Bryce Harper +800
- Juan Soto +800
- Freddie Freeman +1000
- Mookie Betts +1000
- Ronald Acuña Jr +1000
- Francisco Lindor +1800
- Paul Goldschmidt +2000
- Trea Turner +2000
For most of the season, teammate Nolan Arenado has gotten all the MVP buzz on the St. Louis side. He plays gold glove defense at third base and ranks third in the National League in wins-above-replacement, or WAR.
Goldschmidt, however, actually leads Arenado in several offensive categories including runs scored, walk rate, and batting average. The Cards' first baseman actually is second in the National League in B.A behind the current favorite in Padres third baseman Manny Machado.
With Machado and Arenado playing the same position, that puts Arenado at a potential disadvantage moving forward, and Goldschmidt is noticeably behind from an odds perspective.
As for the argument that first base is not a premium position for an MVP winner, back in 2020 both Freddie Freeman as well as Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox won the award back in 2020.
Goldschmidt has finished runner-up for NL MVP twice in his career, and top three three times, so perhaps if it's close, the narrative to finally get in could play to his advantage.
He's worth a sprinkle before the odds jump even more.
Follow all of Ben Heisler's betting plays in real-time HERE