Former MVP Turning Back Clock in Career Renaissance With New York Yankees

Heading into the offseason, one of the positions that the New York Yankees knew they had to address was first base.

They have received some excellent production from Anthony Rizzo earlier in his tenure with the franchise, but injuries led to a sharp decline in his performance on the field. It is incredibly telling that he remains unsigned as a free agent about a month into the regular season.

The Yankees decided to snag Paul Goldschmidt away from the St. Louis Cardinals to replace him at first base on a one-year, $12.5 million deal.

Not a major commitment by any means, but certainly still a risk given some of the decline that the 2022 National League MVP has shown over the last two seasons.

After winning the prestigious award, his numbers have taken a nosedive.

After recording a .317/.404/.578 slash line during his MVP campaign, his numbers dropped to .268/.363/.447 the following year and were even worse in 2024 (.245/.302/.414).

After a brutal start last year, Goldschmidt did look to figure something out in the second half of the season. But, it was fair to question just how much he had left in the tank to offer at 37 years old.

It turns out he had plenty.

What was a huge void in the New York lineup in 2024 has turned into a strength in 2025 as Goldschmidt has turned back the clock and is producing at an incredible clip.

Through his first 25 games and 105 plate appearances, Goldschmidt has produced an incredibly impressive .383/.433/.489 slash line. The power numbers aren’t quite there with only one home run and seven doubles, but he is racking up hits at a remarkable pace.

He is hitting line drives with regularity, as his line-drive rate of 35.1% would be the second highest in a single season of his career.

At this stage of his career, that may be his best approach since his hard hit rate of 38.4% is on pace to be the lowest of his career (his previous low was 40.9% in 2020). His average exit velocity is also the lowest of his career at 88.5 mph.

His ground ball-to-fly ball ratio is on pace to tie his lowest mark in a season with 0.54, so the prodigious home run numbers he produced at points in his career may not return with the Yankees.

But the team will be thrilled if he continues using the entire field for line drives and racking up hits.