MVP Profile: Josh Donaldson, 2015

Third Baseman, Toronto Blue Jays

Age:  29

1^st season with Blue Jays

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 210 

Prior to 2015:

A Florida native, following his first year of high school Donaldson, whose father was in prison, was sent by his mother to Faith Academy in Mobile, Alabama, where he excelled in football as well as baseball. As a senior in 2004 who pitched and played shortstop, he batted .515 in 32 games with 21 doubles and 15 stolen bases. Heading on to college at Auburn University, he hit .294 with a .347 on-base percentage as a freshman while splitting time between catching and playing third base. Appearing in 56 games in 2006 he batted .276 with 10 home runs, 42 RBIs, and a .331 OBP. In the ensuing summer he played in the Cape Cod League with the Harwich Mariners and finished fifth in batting. Following another productive college season in 2007, Donaldson was selected in the first round of that year’s amateur draft by the Chicago Cubs. He signed for $625,000 and after four games in the Rookie-level Arizona League, he advanced to the Boise Hawks of the Class A Northwest League where, in 49 games, he hit .346 with 9 home runs, 35 RBIs, a .470 OBP, and a .605 slugging percentage. He also led all of the league’s catchers with a .990 fielding percentage and threw out 39.7% of baserunners who attempted to steal against him. In 2008, he started out with Peoria of the Class A Midwest League where he hit only .217 in 63 games before being traded by the Cubs to the Oakland Athletics. Assigned by the A’s to Stockton of the advanced Class A California League, Donaldson’s bat came alive and in 47 games he batted .330 with 9 home runs, 39 RBIs, and a .391 OBP. He played in the Arizona Fall League in the offseason and saw action at first base. Donaldson spent 2009 with the Midland RockHounds of the Class AA Texas League where he appeared as catcher and at first and third base and hit .270 with 37 doubles, 9 home runs, 91 RBIs, and a .379 OBP thanks to drawing 80 walks. He started the 2010 season with the Sacramento River Cats of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League before being called up to Oakland at the end of April. In 14 games, where he saw most of his action as a catcher, he batted .156 with a home run before returning to Sacramento where he hit .238 for the year with 18 home runs, 67 RBIs, and a .336 OBP. He was back with Sacramento in 2011, batting .261 with 17 home runs, 70 RBIs, and a .344 OBP. In 2012 Donaldson split time between Sacramento and the A’s, who lacked depth at third base. He hit a mere .153 in two stints with Oakland but when called up again in August due to an injury to starting third sacker Brandon Inge, he hit far better and proved to be acceptable defensively. He ended up batting .241 in 75 games for the A’s with 9 home runs, 33 RBIs, and a .289 OBP. Starting the 2013 season as Oakland’s regular third baseman, Donaldson had a breakout year hitting .301 with 37 doubles, 24 home runs, 93 RBIs, and a .384 OBP. His defensive play at third base was outstanding and he placed fourth in league MVP voting, receiving one first-place vote. He was an All-Star for the first time in 2014 on his way to batting .255 with 29 home runs, 98 RBIs, a .342 OBP, and a .456 slugging percentage while still performing impressively at third base. In the offseason he was traded to the Blue Jays for four players.

2015 Season Summary

Appeared in 158 games

3B – 150, DH – 7, PH – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 711 [2]

At Bats – 620 [9]

Runs – 122 [1]

Hits – 184 [5]

Doubles – 41 [4, tied with Kendrys Morales]

Triples – 2

Home Runs – 41 [3, tied with Mike Trout]

RBI – 123 [1]

Bases on Balls – 73 [10]

Int. BB – 0

Strikeouts – 133 [19, tied with Adam LaRoche]

Stolen Bases – 6

Caught Stealing – 0

Average - .297 [10, tied with Eric Hosmer]

OBP - .371 [9]

Slugging Pct. - .568 [2]

Total Bases – 352 [1]

GDP – 16

H by Pitches – 6

Sac Hits – 2

Sac Flies – 10 [1, tied with Edwin Encarnacion & Melky Cabrera]

League-leading runs scored were +14 ahead of runner-up Jose Bautista

League-leading RBIs were +6 ahead of runner-up Chris Davis

League-leading total bases were +13 ahead of runner-up Mike Trout

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 22, HR – 21, RBI – 60, AVG - .293, OBP - .351, SLG – .532

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) vs. Tampa Bay 4/15, (in 4 AB) vs. Chi. White Sox 5/26, (in 5 AB) at LA Angels 8/22

Longest hitting streak – 10 games

Most HR, game – 2 (in 5 AB) vs. Atlanta 4/17, (in 4 AB) vs. Chi. White Sox 5/26, (in 4 AB) at Philadelphia 8/18

HR at home – 24

HR on road – 17

Multi-HR games – 3

Most RBIs, game – 6 at LA Angels 8/22

Pinch-hitting – 0 for 1 (.000)

Fielding

Chances – 442

Put Outs – 137

Assists – 287

Errors – 18

DP – 32

Pct. - .959

Postseason Batting: 11 G (ALDS vs. Texas – 5 G; ALCS vs. KC Royals – 6 G)

PA – 48, AB – 41, R – 9, H – 10, 2B – 3,3B – 0, HR – 3, RBI – 8, BB – 6, IBB – 0, SO – 10, SB – 1, CS – 0, AVG - .244, OBP – .354, SLG – .537, TB – 22, GDP – 0, HBP – 1, SH – 0, SF – 0

Awards & Honors:

AL MVP: BBWAA

MLB Player of the Year: Sporting News

AL Hank Aaron Award

Silver Slugger

All-Star (Started for AL at 3B)

Top 5 in AL MVP Voting:

Josh Donaldson, Tor.: 385 points – 23 of 30 first place votes, 92% share

Mike Trout, LAA: 304 points – 7 first place votes, 72% share

Lorenzo Cain, KCR: 225 points  – 54% share

Manny Machado, Balt.: 158 points – 38% share

Dallas Keuchel, Hou.: 107 points – 25% share

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The Blue Jays went 93-69 to finish first in the AL Eastern Division by 6 games over the New York Yankees while leading the league in runs scored (891), doubles (308), home runs (232), bases on balls drawn (570), OBP (.340), slugging (.457), and total bases (2518). With a 23-29 record at the end of May, the Blue Jays put together an 11-game June winning streak that put them into contention although they were only 45-46 at the All-Star break. An August surge boosted them into first place to stay on August 23 and they clinched the AL East title on Sept. 30. Won ALDS over the Texas Rangers, 3 games to 2. Lost ALCS to the Kansas City Royals, 4 games to 2.

Aftermath of 2015:

The Blue Jays reached the postseason again in 2016 and Donaldson contributed another strong season while batting .284 with 37 home runs, 99 RBIs, a .404 OBP, and a .549 slugging percentage. He placed fourth in league MVP voting. A calf injury put him on the disabled list in 2017 and upon his return he went on to hit .270 with 33 home runs, 78 RBIs, a .385 OBP, and a .559 slugging percentage over 113 games. Donaldson embraced the nickname “Bringer of Rain” which was inspired by a television character. After signing a $23 million one-year deal to avoid salary arbitration in 2018, he was hindered by shoulder and calf injuries during the season and was traded to the Cleveland Indians at the end of August. For the year he ended up appearing in only 52 games and batted .246 with 8 home runs, 23 RBIs, and a .352 OBP. He hit poorly in Cleveland’s loss to Houston in the ALDS. A free agent in the offseason, he signed a one-year, $23 million contract with the Atlanta Braves for 2019. Donaldson stayed healthy and rebounded to hit .259 with 37 home runs, 94 RBIs, 100 walks drawn, a .379 OBP, and a .521 slugging percentage for the division-winning Braves. In addition to placing eleventh in league MVP balloting, he received NL Comeback Player of the Year recognition. A free agent once again in the offseason, Donaldson signed with the Minnesota Twins in 2020 for four years and $92 million. In the pandemic-shortened season, Donaldson was limited to 28 games by a chronic calf injury and batted .222 with 6 home runs, 11 RBIs, a .373 OBP, and a .469 slugging percentage while continuing to perform well defensively. The Twins had a poor season in 2021 but Donaldson stayed healthy, helped by occasionally DHing aside from his usual duty at third base. He hit .247 with 26 home runs, 72 RBIs, a .352 OBP, and a .475 slugging percentage. Prior to the 2022 season he was traded to the New York Yankees as part of a five-player deal. Getting off to a good start with the Yankees, he also became embroiled in a controversy over a racially disrespectful comment made to shortstop Tim Anderson of the White Sox that cost him a fine and one-game suspension. For the season he finished at .222 with 15 home runs, 62 RBIs, and a .308 OBP. The decline continued into 2023 as he appeared in only 33 games for the Yankees due to hamstring and calf injuries and he was released in late August, moving on to the Milwaukee Brewers as they entered their division-winning stretch run. For the year he batted a combined .152 with 13 home runs and 26 RBIs. For his major league career through 2023 Donaldson has batted .261 with 1310 hits that include 287 doubles, 12 triples, and 279 home runs. He has scored 816 runs and compiled 816 RBIs, a .358 OBP, a .489 slugging percentage, and drawn 725 walks. With Toronto he batted .281 with 331 runs scored, 492 hits, 105 doubles, 7 triples, 116 home runs, 279 walks drawn, a .383 OBP, and a .548 slugging percentage. Appearing in 50 postseason games he has hit .247 with 5 home runs and 16 RBIs. A three-time All-Star, he has placed in the top 11 of league MVP voting five times, including the single win. He has also received two Silver Slugger awards.  

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MVP Profiles feature players in the National or American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award (1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present) as Most Valuable Player.