Paul Goldschmidt at 36 years old had his worst season in 2024 and still wasn’t terrible.
Cardinals fans might say differently, if only because the perennial MVP candidates that have occupied their corners for the last few seasons suddenly wilted together—but as for Goldschmidt, the numbers tell a more complicated story:
The slash: .245/.302/.414 (all career lows)
The pop: 22 home runs, 65 RBI (career-lowest in a full season), .169 ISO
The outcomes: 26.5% strikeout rate, 7.2% walk rate, 3.4% home run rate
These are not the numbers one would expect of a healthy starting first baseman two years removed from winning the National League MVP.