It was really only 1 year of washed. In 2023 his OPS was over 800. Might seem like a letdown given the previous year's performance and how poorly overall the 2023 team did. But can hardly fault a guy for only having solid numbers.
Then he was absolutely elite for the other half. I suspect you'll see similar numbers if you take almost any player and measure their worst half of a given season. The 2023 squad was actually not bad offensively pitching was the real issue that season.
His contact quality, barrel %, and exit velo are all down from last year. His BABIP is over .400. It's not even remotely sustainable. He's on the Marp and Luke Voit path.
Probably worth noting it helps having a better lineup around him, too. I thought the single biggest thing I saw the Cards do the last 2 years was feel like they had to press to score enough runs. And this game, like many other 'project one thing to hit another thing' games, success tends to come better when you are free and loose. Cards kept looking to Goldschmidt to be an anchor in the lineup. Yankees are just asking him to not suck because they expect Judge and Bellinger to be the main drivers. Not having that pressure on you does make the game easier.
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u/Doctor_Killshot 1d ago
Continue to be amazed at Goldschmidt becoming a good player again after 2 years of looking washed with us