Paul Goldschmidt of the St. Louis Cardinals has won this year’s Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, sponsored by the Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity, headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta presents the award annually to a Major League Baseball player who best exemplifies the giving character of Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig, who was a member of the Fraternity’s Columbia University chapter. The award was first presented in 1955 and is permanently maintained at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.
Goldschmidt is the seventh member of the St. Louis Cardinals to win the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award following Stan Musial (1957), Ken Boyer (1964), Lou Brock (1977), Ozzie Smith (1989), Mark McGwire (1999), and Albert Pujols (2009). He will receive the award on Tuesday, June 11, prior to the Cardinals’ game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Past recipients of the award include Stan Musial, Brooks Robinson, Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron, Harmon Killebrew, Willie Stargell, Johnny Bench, George Brett, Kent Hrbek, Cal Ripken Jr., Don Mattingly, Tony Gwynn, Jim Thome, John Smoltz, Derek Jeter, Adrian Beltre, and many more.
Off the Field
Since signing with the Cardinals in 2018, Paul has worked with the Big League Impact (BLI) Foundation (founded by former teammate Adam Wainwright) in charitable efforts. Beginning in 2021, Paul has participated in the #ALLWIN campaign, pledging dollars for causes close to his heart and asking fans to join him. In 2021, Paul raised $46,420 to help build a community center in the Dominican Republic with Food for the Hungry. In 2022, Paul raised $50,000 for Habitat for Humanity St. Louis, an organization that provides an opportunity for families living in substandard rental housing to help build and then purchase a home they can afford to maintain and in 2023, he played for The Little Bit Foundation, a local nonprofit that aims to empower students to achieve their academic goals and dreams for the future by breaking down barriers to learning for students living in poverty.
Paul participated in BLI’s 2023 Swinging for Impact event, which raised over $120,000 to continue BLI’s mission to help meet basic human needs like food, clean water, medical care, shelter, and education in an effort to save lives, restore dignity, and instill hope.
Photo by St. Louis Cardinals, LLC
A finalist for the 2022 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, Paul helped surprise an individual with ALS with a customized wheelchair during the Cardinals’ Lou Gehrig Day tribute. The recipient and his wife shared how the chair would better their lives and were touched by Paul’s involvement and compassion. He signed the Lou Gehrig bat used in MLB’s auction and provided the Lou Gehrig baseballs to the ALS Association in St. Louis and the Muscular Dystrophy Association to support their fundraising efforts.
On August 31, Paul hosted his second Uncork for a Cause, a gala to benefit Water Mission, a nonprofit Christian engineering organization that designs, builds, and implements safe water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions for people in developing countries and disaster areas. Paul believes it is important to stress to children, particularly coaches and parents, that there is more to sports than winning. In September 2023, he hosted a free baseball clinic for more than 150 children aged seven to thirteen at the Ballwin Athletic Association for this purpose. Cardinals Care Redbird Rookies youth baseball program participants and Little League players were in attendance.
Paul and his wife, Amy, enjoy spending time with pediatric patients in St. Louis. Actively involved with the non-profit Friends of Kids with Cancer, they not only offer their time but also provide financial support to the cause. Every year, the Goldschmidts make a heartfelt commitment to hospital visits and contribute to Make-A-Wish and Wives for Wishes events, which plays a significant role in raising funds to fulfill the dreams of local children. He autographed baseballs for the Cardinals Family Grab Bag Event, which raised nearly $50,000 this year for area nonprofits: Angels’ Arms, Covenant House, KEEN St. Louis, and Lydia’s House.
Photo by St. Louis Cardinals, LLC
Paul strongly supports the Cardinals team charity, Cardinals Care. Annual financial contributions and signing of memorabilia used for silent auctions help support the flagship Redbird Rookies program, a free baseball/softball program for children aged five to thirteen, and the charity’s Grant and Youth Ballfield programs. Paul annually attends the Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up signing autographs for fans who donated to Cardinals Care.
Since 2019, Paul’s Ticket Program, Goldy’s Golden Ticket, has brought deserving youth organizations to a game. He provides t-shirts, photo cards, tickets, and food vouchers and meets with groups to answer questions, sign autographs, and take photos. Over the years, Paul has met with hundreds of children, including this season children from Scott Air Force Base Library, The James Project, which supports foster families by providing houses, parental support, children’s provisions, and a community of supporters, and STL Youth Sports Outreach, who provide lightly-used donated sports equipment to children who otherwise may not be able to play due to the high cost of such equipment.
Photo by St. Louis Cardinals, LLC
On the Field
Paul Goldschmidt, as a veteran player and the reigning National League MVP in 2023, continued to be a leader on the team, playing in 154 games, collecting 159 hits—twenty-five of which were home runs—and collecting eighty RBI while being a steady force at first base. A seven-time MLB All-Star, Goldschmidt has also won two Hank Aaron Awards, four Gold Gloves and five Silver Slugger Awards, the latter of which is the most among first baseman.
Photo by St. Louis Cardinals, LLC
