Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. It’s more than the makings of a frighteningly powerful lineup. It’s also a quartet of former MVPs who will help manager Aaron Boone pilot the Yankees’ ship toward a return to the World Series and beyond, with a parade in lower Manhattan being the ultimate destination.
When you’re one of four MVPs, you don’t stand out as much as you otherwise might; you don’t have to. For Goldschmidt -- who arrived in the Bronx on a one-year deal as he takes the next step in a career that could one day be commemorated in Cooperstown -- there’s comfort in fitting in among his new mates.
Goldschmidt has assimilated in a variety of ways. Ever the clubhouse sage, the 37-year-old Texan showed up ready to lead by example. Sometimes that means saying the right things and carrying himself like a professional. Other times, it can take on a more tangible state, such as his leadoff dinger in the team’s second game of the season, kick-starting a franchise-record nine-homer game by the Bronx Bombers. A savvy all-around player -- the four-time Gold Glover and five-time Silver Slugger is one of two first basemen to top 150 steals and 300 homers, the other being Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell -- Goldschmidt is willing to do whatever it takes to win that day’s game. As he adjusted to his first few weeks in the Bronx, Goldschmidt chatted with Yankees Magazine deputy editor Jon Schwartz for an episode of the New York Yankees Official Podcast about his excitement for all that the future holds in New York.
Yankees Magazine: Paul, welcome to town, man. How would you describe the vibe so far in a new clubhouse?
Paul Goldschmidt: It’s been great in there. Everyone is very motivated, very focused, very businesslike. But we have a lot of fun, too. And it’s fun to get out there and compete every night and try to win.
YM: In speaking to other former Cardinals, I’ve found that there are a lot of similarities between the culture here and the culture in St. Louis. You’re still finding your bearings here in a lot of ways, but have you noticed that so far?
PG: Yeah, of course. No. 1, both organizations -- their fan bases, the players -- from the day you’re drafted until you get to the big leagues, the expectation is to be a World Series champion, not just to be there, which is really fun. It’s fun to do that in St. Louis, and it’s fun to do it here. I have those same expectations. I’ve always wanted to win wherever I’ve been, and to have everyone pulling in that same direction, that’s the first similarity. And it just trickles down from what the fans expect of the players -- to play the game the right way, to play the game hard. They’re very, very passionate, but very smart fan bases, where they understand that there’s going to be some ups and downs, but they do have an expectation that we go out there and play hard every day and give it our best effort. And that’s something we never forget as players. People are spending a lot of their time and money to watch us play and cheer us on, or on jerseys and other things. So, it’s something I never forget, and I want to give them my all every day.
YM: I think it goes deeper, though. One thing that sticks out to me is that both clubhouses have those retired numbers posted above the lockers. You are surrounded by all the moments that came before you. And this isn’t a knock on Arizona, but there has to be a difference on teams that have generations of history and generations of success in terms of how that is not just embraced by the players, but how it’s ingrained in the players.
PG: When I got traded from Arizona to St. Louis, I got asked about that a lot. And for me, my career has been a really cool opportunity to see both sides of the spectrum. In Arizona, we talked a lot about creating that winning culture.
YM: You’re not “creating” something in St. Louis.
PG: No. In St. Louis and in New York, it’s 100-plus years of baseball. Arizona is the youngest team in Major League Baseball, and even though they have the [2001] World Series championship and a lot of success, it’s different. Here, we’ve got over 100 years of baseball success and all the retired numbers. And so, to me, it’s about carrying on that legacy, those expectations, and trying to keep that going and leaving it better than you found it.
YM: About that legacy: When you join a new team, you’re not just getting the 25 teammates that are in the room with you. As you saw during Spring Training -- and this is also very similar to St. Louis -- generations of guys come back. Your teammate at shortstop might be Anthony Volpe, but it’s also kind of Bucky Dent, right?
PG: The first Spring Training game, there was Roger Clemens and A-Rod, and there’s so many other people. I saw Joe Torre there, and Willie Randolph was there every day. I can go on and on. For me, it’s just the responsibility to carry on the tradition that was set before us, and that’s what we want to do. It’s a reminder of why we’re here; it’s not about the individual, it’s not about me. It’s about the team and even bigger than that. It’s about this organization, the fan base, the history that’s been set before us, and carrying that forward.
YM: When a new guy signs, we as writers do all the research we can, trying to find out what we can expect. Everyone says the same thing about Paul Goldschmidt: great teammate, great guy, great leader. How does that carry over when you’re the new guy? How do you find your voice in an unfamiliar room?
PG: I think there’s a lot of different ways to lead. No. 1, you just have to be yourself. Coming in here, I understood that I am one of the new guys here, and so it’s not necessarily my role to be the guy. I’m still learning and meeting everyone. In Spring Training, my top priority was getting to know all the players and the staff and finding out about the culture here and how things are done. Thankfully, I’ve played with a lot of great teammates and a lot of great coaches that have shared a lot of wisdom with me. I wouldn’t be here without the guys that came before me. And now I’m one of the more experienced guys; I can now share a lot of what was taught to me.
YM: There are plenty of guys you have played with who will one day be in Cooperstown. Is there one player who stands out to you, both as a mentor and also someone you were in awe of?
PG: Albert Pujols’ last year in St. Louis (2022), to see him hit his 703rd homer -- that’s something I’ll never get to see in person again, definitely not from the dugout. He was just incredible. I learned so much from him about what it’s like to be a big leaguer and a Hall of Famer and how he went about it. He was so respectful of everyone and cared about the team first and wanted to win. The example that he set was amazing.
And it was good to play with Yadier Molina, as well, for four or five years there. Competing against him was so fun; it was such a challenge. He’s probably the smartest ballplayer I’ve ever been around, just the way he would call games. And he was almost like a second manager -- or maybe the first manager -- out there when he was on the field. To get to see him do it and prepare, and how tough he was to catch basically every single day, even when he was 40-plus years old -- those guys just make the people around them better.
Same with the guys in this clubhouse. Obviously, Aaron’s the captain and the leader here. And he sets an example. He plays the game hard. He’s very unselfish. He prepares. And when you have a player of his caliber doing that, everyone is held to a higher standard.
YM: There are three former MVPs on this roster besides you. That’s pretty crazy to think about. Judge, the defending AL MVP, is the kind of player that so much of what he does is very obvious; it’s all there on his baseball card, right? But what have you seen in just the first month or two around him that is less obvious?
PG: He just cares about everyone in that locker room so much. Whether he just hit a home run or struck out, he’s right in there encouraging the rest of us in the dugout to keep going out there, to keep battling, to keep working. That’s just hard to do. Of course, we all want to go in there and have success. Especially when you’re struggling, it’s tough to remember and remove yourself from that competition and get right back into the team-first attitude. But he does it quicker than anyone I’ve ever seen. And when your best player is doing that, you have to fall in line. He makes people around him better.
The Yankees organization is in such a great place when he’s the face of the franchise and maybe even the face of baseball. Because my 9-year-old son, if he grows up to be even half the person that Aaron is, we’re going to be happy. You’ve got one of the best players in the world on the field, and you’ve got one of the best people in the world off the field. When you put those together, he’s such a great role model for so many people.
YM: You hear that Paul Goldschmidt’s coming to town, most Yankees fans’ first instinct was not, “Well, there’s our leadoff hitter!” But other than that first at-bat, there’s not a whole lot that matters about lineup position. Is there anything in your approach that has to change when you’re in the top spot?
PG: I’ve tried to make sure that I’m ready to go for that first at-bat. There’s no feeling things out. There’s no timing up the pitcher when other guys are hitting. And so maybe that’s just doing a little bit of that in the video room or in the cage and just knowing you’re ready to go. As far as approach-wise, I haven’t tried to change anything. I’ve just tried to have a good at-bat, hit the ball hard and then do that every time I step in the box.
The roles of leadoff hitters have obviously changed. If this was 10 years ago, maybe even five years ago, nobody would even be considering it. I mean, look at what Austin Wells did on Opening Day: the first catcher to hit leadoff, and then he hits a home run. So, the game has changed. And credit to Aaron Boone, who’s been in this game his whole life, for being willing to do some different things. We just try to do our job, whatever that is.
YM: I know that a home run trot is not the peak of physical exertion, but you probably need to catch yourself a bit after you hit a homer. When there are two more home runs on the next two pitches, like we saw in the second game of the season this year, what’s going through your mind? Do you ever catch your breath?
PG: That game was crazy. It was my first time leading off. I hit a homer, and then Belli and Judge just go right back-to-back. You’re in a little bit of disbelief. And you have a little bit of that adrenaline. It’s awesome. You’re enjoying it, then you kind of settle back into the game. So, luckily there’s nobody out; you knew we had some time. But, that was really cool and really special.
YM: The season is so long. There are going to be incredible games like that one. There are certainly nights that fans will have reason to boo. It’s just the way it is. But is there anything you learn about a team in a nine-home run outing that you didn’t know beforehand?
PG: With that game, it was just a continued focus to score more. It wasn’t like, OK, we scored five runs. I wouldn’t even think about the home runs; I had no idea how many we had. But we got up four runs in the first inning. The Brewers came back and scored, and then we scored some more in the second inning. I think they scored again, or they scored soon after. So, for me, it was just a really good job to continue to play the game and not just be satisfied. Not, Oh well, we had a few good innings. We had a few homers. Now let’s just cruise to victory. It was every at-bat, even when the game was out of hand at the end, still playing like the game was tied. And I think that focus was what I was impressed about because that’s not easy to do, to just stay there and then come out the next day and do it again. It’s not easy. The hardest thing in this game is to do it every day and not get too high or too low. The work ethic to stay at as high a level as possible was impressive that day.
YM: You weren’t here last season, but you certainly know that the year ended in frustrating fashion for a team that won the pennant. It wasn’t the year you wanted for yourself, either. Now that we’re into the new season, how much are memories and lingering bruises from 2024 present and useful, or is that something where the page is totally turned? These are defending AL champions, but does that mean anything in 2025?
PG: It doesn’t mean anything record-wise; the other 29 teams don’t care. But I think what it can mean is if you learn from those experiences. Those failures or those mistakes that happen, you can either let them hold you back or you can learn from them and have them be a catalyst for future success. That’s how I’ve tried to approach it. Anytime I’ve had mistakes, whether it’s in a game or a season or whatever, it’s like, What can I learn from that? Everyone kind of took that and learned from the good and bad from last season, just like I tried to do, and carried that forward to be even better this year.
YM: You’re obviously no rookie. How has the hunger changed in you as you’ve gotten older? Age can offer some calluses and some cynicism, but how does that competitive drive evolve year over year, especially as you start wondering how many more years you can do this?
PG: I don’t think my competitive drive has changed. I’ve always wanted to win. I’ve always wanted to get a hit every time I step in the box, to win that game. So, the competitiveness hasn’t changed, but I think you understand that you just don’t have as many chances, especially to win the World Series or whatever the goal is. When you’re younger and you struggle or the season ends and we don’t win the World Series, you’re like, Well, we’re going to do it next year. But eventually, you realize, I might not have a next year. And so, it’s just understanding that. You can’t really buy into that too much, because we really have to just stay focused in the moment. But, I mean, that’s also just the truth -- my career is going to end sometime soon.
YM: Are you a visualization guy? Do you picture that championship moment?
PG: Every day, probably. And I always have. That’s what I’ve always wanted. And that’s the most fun. I mean, I’ve had good years individually. I’ve had bad years. But the most fun years are always when the team does well -- always winning games, celebrating with everyone in the clubhouse -- and, hopefully, that’s how this year will end.
Jon Schwartz is the deputy editor of Yankees Magazine. This story appears in the May 2025 edition. Get more articles like this delivered to your doorstep by purchasing a subscription to Yankees Magazine at www.yankees.com/publications.