Signs point to potential Paul Goldschmidt rebound with Yankees after rough 2024

Few people in baseball have been around Paul Goldschmidt longer than Turner Ward, who managed the first baseman in the minors and was his hitting coach at two different spots in the majors. 

That includes the previous three seasons in St. Louis, starting with Goldschmidt’s MVP 2022 season and ending with the first baseman’s subpar ’24. 

Now, Goldschmidt is looking to help the Yankees make up for losing Juan Soto.

Ward, who wasn’t retained by the Cardinals after the season, believes Goldschmidt will return to being the feared hitter he’s been for most of his career, despite being 37. 

“Over the last six weeks of the season, he got back to simplifying things,” Ward said by phone. “Hitting off a tee and things like that. Over the course of last season, his swing got out of sequence and he tried to do too much. Personally, I have no doubt he can get back to being the hitter he’s been.” 

This past year ended up as Goldschmidt’s worst season, with a jump in strikeouts and a drop in walks, among other dips in his typical production. 

Ward pointed to Goldschmidt’s desire to constantly learn more about his swing and technique as part of the issue.

He went to his bat company to see if changes could be made there and previously spent time at Driveline in hopes of increasing his bat speed. 

“That’s not for everybody,” Ward said. “We talked about it last year, he did some things I know had a negative effect on him. He sped up his upper half and that’s where the disconnect happened.” 

The improvements really occurred over the last two months of the season, as Goldschmidt had a .658 OPS through his first 98 games and an OPS of .826 over his final 56 games. 

He was even better in the last month of the season, with a .920 OPS in 30 games. 

“I witnessed it and watched him,” Ward said. “I saw the frustration he felt and then he got back to being as simple as he possibly could and got results.” 

The Yankees don’t necessarily need the 2022 NL MVP version of Goldschmidt in their post-Soto lineup, but in replacing Anthony Rizzo with an older, right-handed first baseman, they are taking a risk. 

Ward, who was drafted by the Yankees in 1986 before being traded to Cleveland as part of a deal that brought Mel Hall to The Bronx, is confident the move to New York will pay dividends for both sides. 

“What’s really gonna help is he’s a guy that makes everyone around him better and they’ll make him better,” Ward said. “He encourages everyone and he’ll be the one when guys are struggling that will be the voice of reason. What he went through this past year probably magnified that.” 

Yankee Stadium should be good for Goldschmidt, as well. 

“That place is made for a left-handed pull hitter or a right-handed hitter that drives the ball the other way,” Ward said of the righty-swinging Goldschmidt. “He hits the ball to all fields. St. Louis was not a great place for a guy who drives the ball the other way.” 

To Ward’s point, Goldschmidt had a .654 OPS at home and a .774 OPS on the road last season. 

It will be up to Goldschmidt to prove that the first half — and then some — wasn’t an indicator of permanent decline. 

It was an unusual spot for Goldschmidt, as he hasn’t slumped much in his career. 

Ward’s time with Goldschmidt began in 2011, when Goldschmidt was at Arizona’s Double-A affiliate in Mobile, Ala., and Ward was the manager. 

“I was very hard on players,” Ward said. “He’s always been a guy that wants to learn and grow. He probably asked more questions than any player I’ve ever been around.” 

It paid off, as Goldschmidt was called up to the majors on Aug. 1, straight from Double-A and quickly excelled. 

“There were questions about whether he’d be able to make the adjustments after a jump like that and I told [then Arizona GM] Kevin Towers, ‘This guy is going to do everything he needs to do to succeed there.’ And he did,” Ward said. “Some guys can adapt and make their own plan to dictate what they do at the plate. That’s where he took off.” 

Ward eventually became Goldschmidt’s hitting coach with the Diamondbacks from 2013-15 and then again for the past three seasons in St. Louis. 

He expects to see Goldschmidt return to form. 

“Personally, I have no doubt,” Ward said. “I saw what he did last year and told him that I played with Paul Molitor and Dave Winfield, Hall of Fame guys that played into their 40s. He’s so tough, fit and mentally strong, I told him he could do the same thing if he wants to.” 

The Yankees are more interested in 2025 than anything beyond that.