Paul Goldschmidt didn't just give the New York Yankees a new first baseman; he gave them a massive upgrade.
MLB.com's Brian Murphy listed Goldschmidt as one of the biggest position upgrades in the sport this season, and it's hard to argue. Goldschmidt owns a 152 wRC+ through the first month, a dramatic +76 point improvement over the Yankees' first base production last year (76 wRC+). That mark was the second-worst in all of baseball.
Clearly, Goldschmidt – and the Yankees – needed a fresh start.
Goldschmidt, 37, was coming off the worst year of his career in St. Louis. After watching Anthony Rizzo decline quickly in the position, the Yankees, desperate to stabilize the position, were looking for a veteran presence who could still hit.
So far, it's been a perfect match.
Goldschmidt is slashing .365/.417/.500 through April 28. He ranks among the top five in the American League in both batting average and on-base percentage, and he's done it by retooling his approach. The contact has been elite. He's cut his strikeout and whiff rates by about seven percentage points, showing he's still one of the most disciplined hitters in the league.
The power is a question still.
Goldschmidt hit a home run on the season's first pitch, leading off on Opening Day, and has not hit one since.
Goldschmidt's batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is an eye-popping .451, the third-highest in the Majors. But if he keeps putting the ball in play and avoiding strikeouts, even a step back would still leave him as one of the Yankees' most productive hitters.
Right now, he's one of just three Yankees regulars with an OPS over .800, alongside Aaron Judge and Ben Rice. He's played a key role in keeping the offense afloat while Cody Bellinger struggles and Giancarlo Stanton is on the injured list with tendinitis in both elbows.
