Goldschmidt doesn't seek praise, but opposing pitchers pile it on

Ask Paul Goldschmidt why he's one of baseball's best hitters and you'll be waiting awhile.

Simply talking about himself, in fact, seems to make the unassuming Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman uncomfortable. After two consecutive All-Star seasons — this time around, he is hitting .308 with 36 doubles and 16 home runs — Goldschmidt waves off his success with clichés. He works hard. He stays focused. Compliments prompt his fingertips to rub together in nervous circles.

So what is it that makes Goldschmidt such a threat at the plate?

"I don't know," Dodgers lefthander Clayton Kershaw said. "If you figure it out, let me know. He's a tough out."

On Tuesday, Kershaw is relieved he won't be charged with trying. That is the American League's task instead, with Goldschmidt batting cleanup for the National League in the All-Star Game.

By now, Goldschmidt has been outed as the secluded slugger in the desert, his talent shining through the rust of Arizona's struggling season. Despite a midsize market of fans and the Diamondbacks' tumble to the NL West basement, he was elected an All-Star by overwhelming fan voting. The fame appears to have crept up on him.

"I definitely never thought I'd be sitting here," he said Monday, speaking in the broader sense.

He simply went about his business. Goldschmidt gained a reputation for showing up early each day, and systematically addressed each of his perceived flaws — defense, baserunning, his propensity for striking out.

"If you're not getting better as a player, you're falling behind," he said, matter-of-factly.

Last year, Goldschmidt took home a Gold Glove at first base. He proved he wasn't a liability on the bases. And talk of strikeouts usually quiets when a player manages 128 extra-base hits in a year and a half.

Around the division, elite pitchers shake their heads at his consistency. San Francisco Giants righthander Tim Hudson remarked that Goldschmidt's understanding of the strike zone and a pitcher's strategy belied his short tenure in the majors — he's in his third full year.

Kershaw said Goldschmidt's preparation shows at the plate, where his knowledge of his attacker's repertoire forces pitchers to continually change their strategy.

"He was ready for it," Greinke said. "That just puts you on another level, to have the ability to adjust. Some guys can say, 'Oh, this is what he's doing,' but their swing won't allow them to hit the ball. So he knows what he's doing and he can adjust to it. You don't become one of the best hitters in baseball without being able to do that."

A few tables over at Monday's media access, Goldschmidt seems unable to comprehend that others would be discussing him. Instead, he's thinking of what he can learn from the rest of the All-Star field. Last year, his favorite part of the All-Star events was getting to pick the brains of other baseball standouts, he said.