Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic recently spoke with Arizona Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers, and it was hinted that minor league first baseman Paul Goldschmidt could join the big league club soon.
↵When you look at his statistics in 2011, how could he not? In 66 games, Goldschmidt has hit 21 home runs, has 59 RBI, is hitting .342 and has an absurd 1.138 OPS. He's currently in AA playing for Mobile, but the quality of his performance this year indicates he could make a splash at Chase Field very soon.
↵Both he and Colin Cowgill are tearing up the minors, but is it wise to mess with a good thing? Arizona is a very respectable 37-32 so far this season, but there is plenty of room for improvement for the offense.
↵First baseman Juan Miranda has been productive, but his numbers are not consistent with the production needed from a first baseman. Miranda's 6 home runs, 21 RBI and .242 average are good for a newly-minted starter at the major league level, but when you have lightning in a bottle down on the farm, you need to see what Goldschmidt is capable of.
↵Should Goldschmidt be called up, one of the first basemen (Miranda, Xavier Nady) would have to vacate their roster position. Neither deserves to be released, but neither has a lot of trade value. Goldschmidt would need to be given the starting position immediately or else the entire point of the transaction would be lost.
↵In the end, the answer is a tough but simple one: put Xavier Nady out on the market for a mop-up reliever and put Goldschmidt in the lineup. When it comes to making a move in the standings, bringing up a talented youngster could push this team forward after a tough series against the Giants.