Major League Baseball

Paul Goldschmidt looking to get back in MVP form for Cardinals' playoff run

Updated Sep. 28, 2022 5:58 p.m. ET

By Pedro Moura
FOX Sports MLB Writer

In his return to Dodger Stadium last week, St. Louis Cardinals assistant hitting coach Turner Ward could not linger on the field after his team concluded batting practice. As soon as the last swing was taken, he sprinted down the visiting dugout steps because his prized pupil was waiting for him in the cages.

It’s there that Paul Goldschmidt prefers to practice every day, almost without fail, without any outside eyes on him. The 35-year-old first baseman’s prized routine has helped vault him to the best performance of his career and buoyed the Cardinals, who defied expectations to surpass their NL Central competition.

Goldschmidt leaned on the routine as his sensational August gave way to a disappointing September. But in aggregate, he has still been so good in 2022 that he is likely to win his first MVP award. He has appeared on ballots after eight seasons and finished second twice, but he has never won. This is his best chance yet.

Not one month ago, Goldschmidt was in serious contention to win the NL’s first Triple Crown in 85 years, an even bigger honor. He led in batting average and RBIs and stood only two homers behind the league lead. Freddie Freeman has since overtaken him in average. Pete Alonso has done the same in RBIs, and Kyle Schwarber has surged seven ahead in the home run total.

This is because Goldschmidt has been a mediocre hitter since the Cardinals returned from a road trip to his old home of Arizona and Chicago. In 27 games since the start of an Aug. 26 homestand, he has hit only .217, with a .333 on-base percentage and .340 slugging percentage. That’s why he’s working extra with Ward, his longtime coach dating to his time as a Diamondback, before games. He has lost his elite timing.

To be clear, Goldschmidt himself anticipated a downturn. He long downplayed the likelihood that he would win the Triple Crown. "If something like that happens, it would be a miracle," he told reporters the day before this suppressed stretch began.

The hot streak that preceded it was the source of significant marvel — to the sport, to Cardinals fans and to the Cardinals themselves. Goldschmidt had a 1.288 OPS in May, a 1.115 OPS in August and a .974 OPS in between. Before and after games in the clubhouse, teammates joked that Goldschmidt was so on fire that he blew off defenders’ gloves. The reserved Goldschmidt did not gloat about his feats or change his behavior in any noticeable way, which only served to increase the roars from his peers.

"He was living right," outfielder Corey Dickerson said. "The outfielder jumps, the ball hits his glove, and the glove literally flies off. You’re somewhat jealous. But when it’s somebody like that, you root for him. You want him to keep it going."

He did until lately. Now, if Goldschmidt continues his slide and one of his peers pushes their team into the playoffs, it’s conceivable that he could be challenged in the MVP voting. By FanGraphs’ measurements, San Diego’s Manny Machado has been essentially equally as valuable as Goldschmidt. So has Goldschmidt’s teammate Nolan Arenado, but Machado for four months operated without the help of a second elite hitter.

Arenado has repeatedly said that Goldschmidt should win the MVP. Earlier this season, he went as far as to say that Goldschmidt is the best player with whom he has ever shared a clubhouse — and "way better" than Arenado himself. The consensus from teammates is that Arenado is a far more fervent competitor than Goldschmidt, so that’s saying something.

Career-long Cardinal starting pitcher Adam Wainwright, too, has declared Goldschmidt his MVP — and Arenado his second choice. But, Wainwright noted earlier this month to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, it was Albert Pujols who carried the Cardinals more than either MVP candidate in August. That month enabled Pujols to reach 700 homers last week in Los Angeles.

First-year manager Oliver Marmol suggested that Pujols’ pursuit energized his team. Dickerson, one of the Cardinals’ most veteran players, suggested that the pursuit of personal records was one reason the club sputtered some in September. They have remained far enough ahead of Milwaukee to keep the playoffs in sight, and individual milestones have loomed close enough to attract attention.

Now, there is one week of the season left to find their collective form before they begin postseason play Oct. 7 at Busch Stadium. Pujols has already made history, and Goldschmidt has bigger things to worry about than an award.

"I think we’ve gone through this little stretch here because there’s so many things that guys are so close to obtaining. It’s kind of more individualized," Dickerson said. "The month before was more the team because it’s so far from the light. And if you play in the playoffs, your numbers literally don’t matter."

Well, they do. But they matter in a different way. The Cardinals will count on Goldschmidt to carry their offense in October. The week until then is important, not so much for the MVP race but as his last chance to regain his MVP form.

Pedro Moura is the national baseball writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the Dodgers for The Athletic, the Angels and Dodgers for the Orange County Register and L.A. Times, and his alma mater, USC, for ESPN Los Angeles. He is the author of "How to Beat a Broken Game." Follow him on Twitter @pedromoura.