Top Blue Jays Player #28: Josh
Donaldson
Position: Third
base
Seasons With the
Jays: 2 (2015--current)
MLB Awards: American
League MVP (2015)
Silver Slugger Award (2015)
All-Star Game
Selection: 2015
Stats**: Games Played
194 Batting Average .295
Base Hits 223 Runs
Scored 155
Home Runs 50 RBIs 144
Doubles 50 Triples 3
Stolen Bases 9 Walks 95
**Stats are as of May 13, 2016
Josh Donaldson’s first season
with the Toronto Blue Jays was one for the ages. He became only the second
player in team history to win the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award,
and led Toronto to their first post-season appearance in more than two decades.
Yes, he was the final out in the ALCS when Toronto dropped Game 6 to the Kansas
City Royals, but his spectacular season, hi-lighted by his walk-off home runs,
his league-leading 123 RBIs and his All-Star defensive play at third base, left
the Jays and their fans a memorable season.
During the off-season between
the 2014 and 2015 season, there was rumours afloat that the Jays were
interested in acquiring free agent third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who had just
turned in another terrific post-season performance with the San Francisco
Giants. But Sandoval went for the money, lured by a ridiculous amount of cash
thrown at him by the Boston Red Sox, and had a mediocre season as the Sox
finished in last place in the AL East.
The Jays then traded
fan-favourite, and oft-injured third baseman Brett Lawrie to the Oakland
Athletics for Donaldson, and the rest—as they say—is history.
He was drafted in the first
round (48th pick overall) in the 2007 Amateur Draft by the Chicago
Cubs but never played for the club. Just over a year later he was traded to the
A’s and played in parts of the 2010 and 2012 season before becoming the
everyday third baseman in 2013. While with Oakland, he finished fourth in MVP
voting in 2013 and played in the All-Star Game in 2014.
While with the Blue Jays in
2015, not only did he lead the American League in RBIs, but also runs scored
(122), total bases (352) and sacrifice flies (10). In the playoffs, while his
batting average left a little to be desired, he did hit three home runs in 11
games while driving in eight.
If he can put up anything
resembling those numbers during the 2016 season, he will get the opportunity to
perform in the postseason once again.
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