DENVER– One hundred times already this season, Paul Goldschmidt has dropped his bat on the ground, unhinged and removed the protective guard on his left foot and jogged down toward first base.
After he drew two more bases on balls on Sunday afternoon against the Oakland Athletics, Goldschmidt reached the 100-walk mark, tying him for the most in a single season in Diamondbacks history with Luis Gonzalez in 2001. Entering Monday night, Goldschmidt was on pace for 124 walks, which would tie him for the fourth-most in the majors since the start of the 2005 season.
While some hitters might grow impatient by having the bat seemingly taken out of their hands so often, Goldschmidt doesn’t seem the least bit bothered.