2017 FANTASY BASEBALL PLAYER ANALYZER: PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT 1B ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Paul Goldschmidt:  Five-tool players in fantasy baseball are the gold standard when it comes to annual drafts and in almost every case, it is the outfield or middle infield where these first round superstars are found.  The first base position has seen one of their own end up in this hallowed class the last few seasons in terms of the  Arizona Diamondbacks’ Paul Goldschmidt.  Already a five-tool first round star entering into the 2016 season, Goldschmidt somehow took his statistical game to new heights as he went nuts on the basepaths to the tune of a career-high 32 stolen bases.  Not since Derrek Lee have we seen this kind of stolen base production from a first baseman and Goldshmidt has even taking there past what the former Florida Marlins was able to accomplish.  It is pretty much unheard of in terms of Goldschmidt’s steals at first base and when they are joined by his excellence in the other four standard categories, puts him in play as a top five guy overall in fantasy baseball.  Regarding those other numbers, Goldschmidt’s 24 home runs was down from the 33 he hit a year a before but he countered that by scoring a career-high 106 runs.  Throw in the 95 RBI and .297 average and there is nothing Goldschmidt can’t do (and do at a high level) in fantasy baseball.  Still flat in his prime at the age of 29, Goldschmidt should not last past the fifth pick in almost all mixed league drafts. 

2017 PROJECTION:  .300 27 HR 100 RBI 107 R 26 SB