The Education of Paul Goldschmidt

The StewPod: Baseball, pop culture & more

First a thing you know about Arizona Diamondbacks star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt: He's one of the best players in the league. And that's consistent, year in and year out. He's a big reason the D-backs are one of this year's most surprising teams in MLB. Now a thing you might not know about Goldschmidt: During the 2013 baseball season, when he was an MVP runner-up, he finished his college degree. Like, during the season. He divided up his days between baseball and school. He had an itch to finish his degree after being drafted out of Texas State University a year shy of graduation. "I actually learned it was easier during the baseball season than the offseason," Goldschmidt told the StewPod. "Just because of our schedule and having a routine every day. Especially on the plane flights when we were going cross country. I’d put my headphones in, I’d have my laptop or my iPad and just get after it and read and write my papers and everything. I really didn’t get to hang around with my teammates as much as I can now because when they’d go to breakfast or dinner, a lot of times I’d stay back and have to finish up schoolwork. I missed out on movies for two years, but it was definitely worth it." Goldschmidt obviously see the value of education, which is one of the reasons he's partnered with the University of Phoenix for a scholarship program to help people pursue their dreams of graduating. Whether it's to finish a degree or start fresh, Goldschmidt and University of Phoenix are offering five full-tuition scholarships. On this week's installment of the StewPod, the Yahoo Sports baseball podcast, Goldschmidt joined us to talk about his college journey, baseball players seeking education, plus such as his stolen-base prowess and why the D-backs are exceeding expectations. Elsewhere on the show, we're examining a number of hot topics from around MLB: • Is MLB doing enough to prevent brawls? • Are brawls good for baseball? • All-Star voting: Which player is getting too much love? • Who should Jeter team up with to buy the Marlins? • Can Mike Trout still win the MVP after being out two months? • Do you have a three-year-old (or older!) beef you want to settle? Who did you wrong!? [Music: "Chase Me" by Danger Mouse ft. Run the Jewels and Big Boi]