March 1, 2015

Talking Up Goldschmidt

The Arizona Diamondbacks front office compares Paul Goldschmidt to Albert Pujols:

Much of that is what compelled Diamondbacks Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa to concur with the idea that Goldschmidt has some similarities to early-to-mid career Pujols.

“I think so, in a lot of ways,” La Russa said. “The example that he sets for his teammates, the completeness of his game — I mean, he’s a franchise player. And I know the things that you don’t know unless you’re around and I wasn’t here until now, but I know the desire to learn, improve. That’s classic Albert.”

He’s not quite a statistical Albert Pujols, but he’s close over the last two seasons. What I like about the article is that they provide actual examples of Goldschmidt being a leader:

Outfielder Ender Inciarte recalled a moment after a game in St. Louis when Goldschmidt approached him and offered insight on his approach at the plate. “He really got in my head and made me realize some stuff,” Inciarte said. “He helped me a lot.”

Shortstop Chris Owings recalled a similar instance, when he was disappointed after a game and Goldschmidt offered encouragement, telling him, “You’re here for a reason. You’re our shortstop. Nobody else wants anybody else at shortstop on this team.”

All well and good, but leadership can only go so far if the team doesn’t have the talent.

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