Watch the New York Yankees these days and you're likely to see two things: a win and a Paul Goldschmidt home run. The Yankees won for the eighth time in their last nine games on Wednesday (NYY 10, CWS 5) and Goldschmidt went deep for the second straight game, the third time in four games, and the sixth time in the last 16 games. He now has 11 homers in 2026.
"He's a Hall of Fame player. It's pretty obvious," Carlos Rodón said about Goldschmidt following Wednesday's win (via MLB.com). "He's been really good at this game for a long time. He's aging pretty well. I just hope he keeps swinging."
Now 38, Goldschmidt returned to the Yankees on a one-year, $4 million contract over the winter and did so knowing he would step into a reduced role with Ben Rice entrenched at first base. Goldschmidt would start against lefties, pinch-hit in the late innings, maybe come in for defense, and that's about it. He started only 10 of New York's first 42 games this year.
Giancarlo Stanton's calf injury opened up playing time and pushed Goldschmidt into the everyday lineup. At this age, more playing time isn't always a good thing. Less can be more for a player approaching 40. For Goldschmidt, though, the uptick in playing time has led to a resurgence. Since Stanton's injury, Goldschmidt is hitting .330/.383/.587 while starting almost every single game.
"We were very confident in Goldy's production even though with Ben, it's not necessarily the perfect fit," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said recently (via the New York Daily News). "But we also knew you're going to have attrition throughout the course of the year. Our confidence in his ability to still kill lefties was there, plus just who he is in the room and who he is on the team."
Goldschmidt has 11 home runs already, one more than all of last season, and he has six home runs against righties. That's twice as many as he had last year. His biggest home run this year came on Saturday, when he hit a go-ahead two-run shot against Toronto Blue Jays closer Louie Varland in the ninth inning. It was the first home run Varland allowed in 2026.
"I try to keep it simple, but no, I haven't really made a conscious effort to do anything different from years past," Goldschmidt said recently (via the New York Daily News). "Stuff kind of happens. I'm not like 'Oh, I'm gonna try to do this better.' When I look at my career, it's always just the simplest things for me. Getting in a good position to hit, being on time, seeing the ball."
The increased power production has come with under-the-hood changes. Specifically, Goldschmidt has moved up in the batter's box, which has allowed him to catch the ball further out in front of the plate. When you do that, you'll have more success pulling the ball. Sure enough, Goldschmidt has eight pulled homers this season. He had five all of last year.
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
Depth in batter's box | 25.9 inches | 20.8 inches |
Intercept point (from front of plate) | -4.9 inches | -0.1 inches |
Pulled air rate | 17.9% | 21.1% |
Barrel rate (what's this?) | 8.0% | 12.0% |
Goldschmidt has moved up roughly five inches in the batter's box and, accordingly, his intercept point moved up roughly five inches as well. Goldschmidt's pulled air rate has jumped more than three percentage points, which is significant, and is now well above the 16.8% league average. His barrel rate (i.e. the best possible contact) is now comfortably above the 7.6% league average.
There is no right answer to position in the batter's box. Some guys are better far back in the box, others are better when they move up, etc. What works for one player may not work for another, and in some cases, what used to work for a player may not work anymore. That is what happened with Goldschmidt. Moving up in the box has unlocked more power and production.
Goldschmidt started very well last season as well, hitting .338/.394/.495 in the season's first two months. He crashed badly after that, though, hitting .226/.277/.333 after June 1. That could happen again this year, for sure. That's the way it goes with 38-year-olds. Goldschmidt is showing much more power right now though. He's driving the baseball in a way he didn't in 2025.
Stanton was scheduled to return this week, but he suffered a setback a few days ago and has been shut down indefinitely. It's unclear when he'll return, which means Goldschmidt will remain in the everyday lineup. His production is a necessity more than a luxury. Even as his career winds down, Goldschmidt is showing he can still drive the bus, not just tag along for the ride.
"I have no idea what the future is going to hold. I don't really even think about it," Goldschmidt said last week (via MLB.com). "I just try to help us win. It's impossible to predict the future."
