St. Louis Cardinals veteran Paul Goldschmidt is enjoying a phenomenal 2022 season.
The 34-year-old has had a lot of those throughout his career, but this season has been especially dominant for him.
To sweeten the deal, Goldschmidt’s Cardinals are in first place in the NL Central, and barring a collapse, they’re likely going to win the division.
It has already been an unforgettable year for Goldschmidt in several ways, but has it been the best year of his career?
Let’s take a look.
Goldschmidt’s 2022 Season At A Glance
The Cardinals have played 131 games so far this season, and Goldschmidt has appeared in 124 of them.
His availability has been outstanding, which is nothing new for the seven-time All-Star.
He currently boasts a ridiculous slash line of .332/.418/.617, giving him an OPS of 1.034 and OPS+ of 194.
Goldschmidt leads the league in every single one of those categories.
He also leads the league in total bases (288) and runs batted in (105).
There’s an outside chance Goldschmidt will make history and win the NL Triple Crown, which would be an unbelievable achievement.
As mentioned, he already leads the league in batting average and runs batted in, and he’s just three home runs away from catching up with Kyle Schwarber for the NL lead in that category (Goldschmidt currently has 33).
He’s expected by many to win NL MVP honors, which would be the first MVP award of his career.
Needless to say, he’s leaving a mark this year.
So, Has He Ever Had A Season Better Than This One?
As crazy as it sounds, there’s an argument to be made that Goldschmidt’s 2022 season has not yet topped his 2015 season.
In 2015, Goldschmidt slashed .321/.435/.570 with 33 home runs, and perhaps more notably, he finished the year with a bWAR of 8.3.
So far this season, he has a bWAR of 7.0.
Now, WAR isn’t the only statistic that matters, but a difference of 1.3 wins is pretty significant.
The good news is that Goldschmidt still has time this season to top that 8.3 mark that he set in 2015.
In fact, if the four-time Silver Slugger were to play in all of St. Louis’ remaining games, he’d be on pace for a bWAR of about 8.8, which would be the best mark of his career.
It’s also worth noting that Goldschmidt didn’t win MVP honors in 2015 (he finished second), and he almost certainly will this season.
So, while his 2015 season still has an argument to be considered his best year for now, that likely won’t be the case by the time the 2022 campaign ends.
As long as Goldschmidt stays healthy and keeps producing at a high level, his 2022 campaign should be considered the best year of his career when the season ends.
Final Thoughts
While Goldschmidt has a chance to claim some absurdly impressive personal accolades this season (like the MVP award and Triple Crown), he’s surely more worried about his team’s success.
The veteran is still trying to win his first World Series ring, and he’d love nothing more than to get it this season with St. Louis.
Time will tell if the Cardinals have a championship run in them.
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