Mobile's Paul Goldschmidt Named Southern League MVP
Published on September 1, 2011 under Southern League (SL1) News Release
MARIETTA, GA- The Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs is pleased to announce that Mobile BayBears outfielder Paul Goldschmidt has been named its Most Valuable Player as voted upon by the league's field managers, radio broadcasters and print media.
A native of Wilmington, Delaware, Goldschmidt graduated from The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas and went on to hit 36 homeruns in three seasons at Texas State. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 49th round of the 2006 MLB June Amateur Draft and the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 8th round of the 2009 MLB June Amateur Draft. As a rookie, he played for the Missoula Osprey in 2009 and hit 62 RBI along with 18 homeruns, with a .334 batting average and a .408 on-base percentage in 74 games. In 2010, Goldschmidt went on to play for the Visalia Rawhide in the California League. His 35 homeruns and 108 RBI that season earned him status as California League MVP.
Goldschmidt was explosive with the BayBears from the beginning of the season, hitting 5 homeruns and 10 RBI within the first week of play. For his efforts, he was named the Southern League's first Hitter of the Week in 2011 and he never stopped producing powerful hits for the BayBears, who have clinched the league's South Division title for the second half. The first baseman dominated the league from April through August 1 when he was called up to play for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Throughout the season, Goldschmidt led the league in homeruns, blasting thirty of them, only to be matched twenty-nine days after his departure to Arizona. To date, he still leads the league in RBI (94), on-base percentage (.435) and slugging percentage (.626).
After being chosen as the Southern League's Topps Player of the Month for the month of June, he was selected as a first baseman for the South Division All-Star Team and successfully blasted a two-run homer in the first inning of that game. Goldschmidt's honors continued with selection for the XM All-Star Futures Game and then the call-up to Arizona in early August. So far, in Arizona, Goldschmidt has continued to blast his 400+ feet homeruns, with 5 in 25 games. He is batting .269 with the Diamondbacks, with 14 RBI, and looks to be a promising hitter for the club in 2012.
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- Mobile's Paul Goldschmidt Named Southern League MVP - SL1
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