Vote for Goldschmidt

Paul Goldschmidt is no stranger to success.

Though overshadowed as a standout on The Woodlands High School baseball team’s 2006 state and national championships by first-round draft pick Kyle Drabek, Goldschmidt is quickly moving into the spotlight.

Leading the National League in RBI while hitting .313 with 15 homers, Goldschmidt has helped push the Arizona Diamondbacks to the top of the West Division standings after being drafted by the club in the eighth round in 2009.

His accomplishments haven’t gone unnoticed. With 928,647 votes, Goldschmidt trails only Cincinnati’s Joey Votto (1, 569,477) in the latest All-Star balloting for first basemen.

You can vote for Goldschmidt here through Thursday, July 4.

His teammates have begun to call him “America’s First Baseman.” At age 25, in just his second full season in the big leagues and third overall, Goldschmidt is fitting into that role with a quiet confidence usually reserved for chiseled veterans.

The 84th All-Star Game will be played at Citi Field in New York on Tuesday, July 16, and televised nationally by FOX Sports.

While Goldschmidt is a likely candidate to play in the Classic, Drabek will have to wait his turn. Nearing completion of rehab for his second Tommy John surgery, the hard-throwing right-hander is anxious to get back on the mound for the Toronto Blue Jays.

“Loving the way my arm feels each day,” Drabek tweeted following another live bullpen session a week ago in Florida.