Paul Goldschmidt MVP: A look at the NL MVP's brilliant season

On Thursday, Paul Goldschmidt, who twice finished second to the National League MVP while playing for the Diamondbacks, was named the 2022 NL MVP. With 22 first-place votes, he triumphed against fellow colleague Nolan Arenado and Padres third baseman Manny Machado.

Arenado received one first-place vote, while Machado received seven and finished second. The stars of the Dodgers, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, came in fourth and fifth place, respectively, in the voting.

Goldschmidt had his best season during his fourth year in St. Louis. He topped the NL in both OPS and slugging percentage (.578). (.981). He finished the year with 35 home runs, 115 RBIs, and a career-high 76 extra-base hits.

Seven-time All-Star Goldschmidt now has an outstanding trophy cabinet that also includes five Silver Slugger awards and four Gold Gloves. This is the first time a Cardinals player has won the MVP award since Albert Pujols in 2009.

"Going for Gold! After a fantastic 2022 season, Paul Goldschmidt is your NL MVP." - MLB

Paul Goldschmidt's stellar season in White and Red

With the Arizona Diamondbacks, Goldschmidt had a promising start to his career, making six All-Star teams. His prime years, as one might anticipate, were between the ages of 25 and 30, when he led the league in home runs and runs batted in.

However, some of his stats started to decline when he was sent to the St. Louis Cardinals following the 2018 campaign. He no longer made the All-Star team, but he continued to be very valuable.

His home run totals were around 30, and his batting average was near to .300, but he started to lose ground in other areas, particularly walks. His on-base plus slugging percentage, which was almost always over .900 in Arizona, fell below it for three years in a row.

This season's narrative has been unique. With a batting average of .332, an on-base percentage of .415, and a slugging percentage of .614, Paul Goldschmidt led the National League. The batting average and slugging percentage were also career highs. He has 26 home runs, which is five fewer than his season total from the previous year, and made his fourth consecutive appearance in the All-Star Game.

"Off an outstanding offensive season, Paul Goldschmidt earns his second career Hank Aaron Award." - MLBStats

Despite being older than most athletes' peak years, he had perhaps his finest season ever in 2022. He had a batting line of .317/.404/.578 and hit 35 home runs. His wRC+ of 177 shows that his output was 77% higher than the league’s average hitter.