Goldschmidt feels 'back on track' from slump after mechanical tweaks
Paul Goldschmidt is in the midst of an MVP-caliber season for the Arizona Diamondbacks, but he recently hit a snag at the plate, a lull that he hopes to have overcome by making a few mechanical alterations.
While Goldschmidt continues to be one of the best hitters in all of baseball, he has recently encountered a hurdle in the batter's box.
Although he still maintains an astronomical slash line of .330/.445/.565, leads the league in RBI with 93, and has knocked 24 home runs this season, fans have been concerned about his performance at the plate in August, in which he's hitting .247/.356/.400 with two home runs and 16 RBI.
"It's a long year. I think he's human, and you go through your struggles," manager Chip Hale told Arizona Sports on 98.7 FM. "He did have some mechanical issues that he and [hitting coach] Turner [Ward] worked on and worked out."
Although his batting average dipped, Goldschmidt's on-base percentage and run production have both remained above the league average even during his slump.
As analysts noted last week that the first baseman had yet to hit a home run in nearly a month, he crushed two home runs over the weekend and drove in four runs on a 4-for-5 day.
"Saturday was sort of the culmination of those things of him feeling better. He's told us he feels like he's back on track," Hale said.
The Diamondbacks certainly hope that Goldschmidt has resolved his hitting downturn, as they are optimistic they can remain in the NL West pennant race down to the wire.
Nonetheless, Goldschmidt isn't the only D-back who has produced for the team this season.
While they aren't nearly as heralded as Goldschmidt, a pair of Arizona's outfielders have combined for 121 RBI this season.
"It's tough to put everything on him all the time, and that's why it's great to see what David Peralta and A.J. Pollock have really done of late to help us out while he has struggled a bit," Hale said.
(h/t Arizona Sports)
