Baseball

Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt heating up in June

By Jason Romano Jun 12, 2018
(Photo Courtesy: Rachel Getz/Flickr)

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Paul Goldschmidt is a five-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger award winner at first base. He’s considered to be one of the most feared hitters in the National League.

In the first couple of months of 2018, he didn’t look anything like the player Arizona fans had cheered for these last few seasons. He hit just .144 in the month of May and on May 22, his average had dipped below .200. The Diamondbacks were also slumping. After starting out the season 24-11, Arizona lost 13 of its next 15 games to fall to .500.

But baseball is often a game of highs and lows. And for Goldschmidt and the Diamondbacks, June couldn’t have come soon enough.

Since June 1, Arizona has won eight of its 10 games, and its first baseman is now looking like the All-Star he’s been over the past five years. Goldschmidt is batting .463 in June with five HRs and 12 RBIs. The bulk of that damage came in an incredible five-game barrage where he hit .681 (15-for-22) with four HRs and 11 RBIs with nine runs scored. For his play last week, he was named NL Player of the Week.

Goldschmidt is not just an MLB superstar, he’s also a follower of Jesus Christ. In 2016, he shared with Sports Spectrum his desire to learn more about the God’s Word and grow in his faith.

“Without ever getting into the Bible and reading, I was making judgments,” Goldschmidt said. “Just one example: I’m thinking so-and-so is a Christian and I’m looking at the mistakes they’re making. But when you read the Bible, every single person you know on this planet that’s ever walked has made a mistake, and every single person that God used in the Bible was a sinner.”

RELATED: Gold Mine: Diamondbacks’ Paul Goldschmidt finds Jesus through love of others

In speaking to HavenToday last year, Goldschmidt said he often struggles with being a baseball player and following Christ. But his goal is to not go after achievement and rather go after God and continue to seek Him.

“Am I chasing at the fame and success that baseball can bring or am I chasing the fame and success of following Jesus? I don’t have the answers. I’m still trying to figure it out but hopefully Jesus can lead me in the right direction.”

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