Paul Goldschmidt (75)

Stance: Fairly closed batting stance, with feet parallel to the pitcher and knees aggressively bent. Keeps hands above eye level with bat hanging low, almost resting on back shoulder. To trigger his lower half he shifts his weight to the toes of his front foot, then explodes his hips toward the pitcher. Does a good job of keeping balanced. His swing is fluid and crosses the strike zone on an even plane.

Approach: Very patient approach and looks to work the count and draw walks when needed. Good pitch recognition, and does a good job of letting the ball travel through the zone. Despite being among league leaders in home runs, he has the ability to adjust his approach and take a base hit the other way when needed. Goldschmidt likes the ball up in the zone and on the inside half of the plate, but struggles at times when pitched down and away.

Hitting Ability: Has the ability to hit .300 consistently throughout the season. He hits left-handers better than righties, although he improved his OPS against right-handers to .941 in 2013. He hits the ball well to all fields with his smooth line drive swing, and does a good job of staying inside the ball. In 2013 he posted an impressive.338 batting average with runners in scoring position.

Power: Possesses plus-plus power. His power plays well in all ballparks and his home runs are not all pulled; instead he hits his fair share over the right field wall. He generates this power by using quick wrists, excellent bat speed and an explosive lower half.

Running: Goldschmidt is an above average baserunner, and he has been successful in stealing bases more so because of his instincts as opposed to natural speed. He can be expected to swipe around 15 bags per season and rarely makes bad decisions on the base paths. Has gets good reads off pitchers and his stolen base attempts are usually in low risk scenarios.

Fielding: Excellent defensive first baseman, possesses quick hands and takes a good first step to ground balls. Goldschmidt has great range at his position (both in fair and foul ground) and can handle tough hops very well. He has improved his arm accuracy over the past three seasons, and is yet to make a throwing error in the big leagues.

Physical Description: Possesses an ideal build for a first baseman. He has a powerful lower half with a strong back and wide shoulders. He has good weight distribution and adding bad weight is not an issue for now.

Projection: Goldschmidt made huge strides over three seasons in the big leagues. His pitch recognition and hitting ability on off-speed pitches has dramatically improved. His approach of working the count, and using the whole field makes him more than just a home run threat. His consistency over the course of a season, good defence, and baserunning prowess are often overlooked, but these skills help make him a potential MVP candidate each year.