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2. Paul Goldschmidt
What a difficult stretch at the plate it has been for Paul Goldschmidt, somebody who won the NL MVP just two seasons ago. The 36-year-old first basemen has been looking for his swing almost the entire season, as he has had stretches where he has looked completely lost at the plate.
Some may ask the question, should we have seen this coming? Goldschmidt's overall numbers in 2023 weren't terrible per se, but comparing them to his previous seasons it was one of the worst seasons of his career. In 2023 " Goldy " had career lows in SLG ( .447) after leading the entire league in SLG in 2022, and he is currently at a .303 SLG which would be the worst of his career by a wide margin. The worst batting average he has had in his career was .250 in 2011, he is hitting .211 so far in 2024, and he has also struck out in just under 32% of his ABs, almost 10% higher than his career K rate.
So can he turn it around? You would have to think that he deserves the benefit of the doubt since he is one of the best hitters of his generation and a former MVP, he can easily bounce back. Goldschmidt has also been known for having slow starts, including his MVP year, he hits better in the summer months. The weather in St.Louis is warming up, so maybe Goldschmidt will warm up too, the Cardinals will need him contributing in the middle of their lineup down the stretch.