Paul Goldschmidt has historically been a player who starts off slow. His career OPS in the months of March and April (.835) is the lowest of any other month in his career. Goldy takes a bit of time to get things going offensively.
2024 has been a new low for the All-Star and future Hall of Famer. As of May 8th, Goldschmidt has a .195/.287/.263 slash line for a 60 OPS+. He has struck out 47 times in 152 plate appearances. His .550 OPS is abysmal. Below you'll find one of his two from Tuesday night's game against the Mets. Both were in crucial moments of the game with runners on base.
Goldschmidt has primarily hit in the #2 hole this year, though Oliver Marmol has been more apt to play him in the 4 or 5 hole these past few weeks. He has played in all but 1 game this year. If he continues to play poorly and the team continues to have a losing record, Goldschmidt could see himself as a trade candidate.
All of this has led Goldschmidt to be included on MLB's "All-Slump Team", a collection of talented players who aren't meeting expectations based on their career numbers. Players such as Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Julio Rodriquez, and Corbin Carroll are also on this list.
While Goldschmidt is having a terrible year given his track record, the assortment of players who are also underperforming is vast. These are guys who have won MVP awards, Silver Slugger trophies, Gold Gloves, and could even be Hall of Famers in their own right.
Alex Bregman holds a .535 OPS; Bo Bichette is sitting at .514; even Corbin Carroll has an OPS below .600 at .578. Paul Goldschmidt is not the only one struggling. The Cardinals will need his bat to heat up soon given their 15-21 record and their placement at the bottom of the National League Central. He will need to get it going for the Cardinals to even sniff the playoffs this year.
Goldschmidt has historically heated up as the days get warmer and longer. The hope is that he figures it out soon and helps lead this team through the dog days of the baseball season. Without a potent Goldschmidt, this team may end up looking a lot like last year's 71-win team.