The New York Yankees were abysmal at first base this past season, producing a 76 wRC+ and -1.1 fWAR from that group in 2024. This winter would almost certainly result in a new first baseman being added to the roster, and Paul Goldschmidt ended up being their pick. A veteran with an MVP and numerous Gold Gloves at the first base position, the Yankees are hoping to see some of that MVP upside, and Goldschmidt is confident he’s still got gas in the tank.
In his introductory Zoom meeting with the Yankees, he mentioned that he can “still play at a really, really high level,” citing mechanical adjustments made during the 2024 campaign that helped him get back to his All-Star ways. It won’t take much for Goldschmidt to improve the first base position from last year, but he’s hoping to be far more than average.
Paul Goldschmidt Could Provide Yankees a Huge Boost at First Base
Last season was another step back for Paul Goldschmidt, who posted a 100 wRC+ in 2024 after an uncharacteristically slow start to his season. While it wouldn’t be impressive if Goldschmidt repeated that season, he would provide a massive upgrade for the Yankees at first base, who were abnormally bad at the position and haven’t seen a first baseman on their roster hit a home run since August.
They had the lowest OPS at the position (.619) and weren’t elite defensively either, but Paul Goldschmidt is confident he can provide more than just average production however, citing some mechanical adjustments made midseason that allowed him to salvage a disastrous season.
“There were a lot of things that I learned…going through that process of trying to make those adjustments and got to a spot in the second half where I played better…some of those were mechanical with my swing and some of those were approach-wise”
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Paul Goldschmidt had a 120 wRC+ with nine home runs after the All-Star Break, increasing his Barrel% to 12.6% and seeing his numbers look closer to where they were in 2023. That being said, second-half production isn’t more predictive than full-season or even first-half data, so the Yankees will have to hope that these adjustments stick or are improved upon over the winter.
Playing at Yankee Stadium could help Paul Goldschmidt as well, with Baseball Savant suggesting he would have hit 25 home runs if he played all of his games at the Bronx. What could also help is feeding off of a crowd that Goldschmidt praised, saying he’s “loved” playing games in New York, referencing the series the Cardinals played this past season against the Yankees.
The ballpark serves right-handed hitters who go the other way well, and while Paul Goldschmidt pulls a lot of his flyballs, it could help his ability to cover the outside part of the plate if he’s able to shoot line drives to right. For someone struggling to handle velocity and breaking balls, being able to sit back and let a pitch track is super valuable as the aging curve continues to hamper Goldschmidt’s overall strength and athleticism.
It’s not out of the picture for Paul Goldschmidt to have a strong campaign in 2025; Steamer projects a 114 wRC+ and 1.9 WAR for him, which would be a 3.0 WAR upgrade over last season when you factor in the -1.1 WAR the Yankees got at the position in 2025. With 24 projected home runs in 147 games, the offense would get some much-needed thump, and perhaps it gets this lineup closer to winning the franchise’s first World Series since 2009.