Down to their final out in a half-filled Busch Stadium, former Arizona Diamondbacks superstar and current St. Louis Cardinals slugger Paul Goldschmidt turned on a 96-MPH Kyle Finnegan fastball, lacing a line drive home run four rows deep into the left field bleachers. Goldschmidt’s blast cut into a sizable deficit, but ultimately, the Washington Nationals emerged triumphant 10-8.
Although the Cardinals remain in the thick of the NL Wild Card race, it’s been a tough season for Goldschmidt, hitting just .229 through 99 games in 2024. However, despite the down season and the latest defeat for the NL Central club, Friday’s blast marks a historic milestone in Goldschmidt’s career. His 2,000 MLB hit.
Goldschmidt became the 295th player to reach the 2,000-hit mark and is one of five active players to achieve the feat. A one-time All-Star and MVP with St. Louis, Goldschmidt became an MLB cornerstone during his eight years with Arizona before being shipped off near the end of his franchise-friendly five-year deal.
Paul Goldschmidt: 2,000 Career Hits
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An eighth round pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2009 MLB draft, Paul Goldschmidt never cracked any top 100 prospect list and only made his MLB debut well into his age-23 season. Goldschmidt is the 295th member of the 2,000 hit club, joining Freddie Freeman, Jose Altuve, Joey Votto, and Andrew McCutchen as the only active members.
Goldschmidt made his MLB debut with Arizona in 2011, with the NL West club fighting for the division crown but struggling to find production at first base. With the quartet of Juan Miranda, Xavier Nady, Brandon Allen, and Russell Branyan combining for a batting average near the Mendoza line, the D-Backs called upon Goldy before the Texas State product sniffed Triple-A. Goldschmidt singled in his MLB debut against the San Francisco Giants before taking Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum deep the following day.
The first baseman would finish his career 15-of-28 against Lincecum with seven home runs and 17 RBIs. He finished his rookie season with a .808 OPS, but more importantly, he helped lead Arizona to the postseason while hitting .438 in the playoffs. Goldy parlayed his fantastic rookie season into an epic eight-year run with the D-Backs, making six All-Star appearances, earning Silver Slugger Award honors four times, leading the league in home runs in 2013, and slashing .313/.389/.688 in eight postseason games.
The face of the franchise in Arizona for a near decade, the D-Backs opted to trade Goldy before the 2019 season with his team-friendly, five-year, $32 million deal approaching its end. In return, Arizona landed three prospects, none of which are still with the organization.
Goldschmidt Trade: Arizona Diamondbacks Ship First Baseman to St. Louis Cardinals
In the winter of 2018, the Arizona Diamondbacks struck a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, sending star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt east for catcher Carson Kelly, starting pitcher Luke Weaver, and infielder Andrew Young. Arizona also received a 2019 competitive balance pick. Kelly played well in his inaugural season in the desert, hitting 18 home runs and posting a .826 OPS in 111 games. However, injuries derailed his career from 2020 to 2023, posting a sub .675 OPS. Arizona traded for fellow catcher Gabriel Moreno before the 2023 season, with the D-Backs releasing Kelly in August of the same year. Kelly is currently hitting .242 with the Detroit Tigers.
Meanwhile, Weaver, like Kelly, had an excellent first year with the Snakes, going 4-3 with a 2.94 ERA in 12 starts. Weaver’s production flipped on its head in 2020, with the righty leading the league with nine losses while owning a 6.58 ERA. After a subpar 2021, Weaver shifted to the bullpen in 2022, going 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA before being traded to Kansas City for Emmanuel Rivera.
Weaver has had a resurgence in his career since landing with the New York Yankees in 2023, going 5-3 with a 3.00 ERA in 72 innings while donning the black and white. As for Young, he hit .205 in two seasons with Arizona, and after housing a -0.9WAR from 2020 to 2021, he has been out of baseball for two seasons.
With hindsight being 20/20, the Cardinals fleeced the Diamondbacks. Goldschmidt has slashed .278/.362/.484 in six seasons with the Red Birds, hitting 146 home runs and reaching 2,000 hits as a major leaguer. The Diamondbacks received two top-100 prospects and a respective minor league bat, none of which helped return playoff baseball to Arizona.
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