Oct 31, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Toronto Blue Jays infielder Josh Donaldson (left) sits with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred (right) at the Hank Aaron award press conference before game four of the World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
1) Josh Donaldson – Toronto Blue Jays
Bio: 29 y/o, 6’0″, 220 lbs, bats right, & throws right
MLB Years: 5
Games Played in 2015: 158 (150 as 3B)
Offense:
- .297 batting average
- .371 on-base percentage
- .568 slugging percentage
- 41 home runs & 123 RBIs
- 73 walks to 133 strikeouts
Defense:
- 2.83 range factor
- .959 fielding percentage
- 18 errors, 287 assists, & 137 putouts
‘It’ Factor: The Total Package
Who would argue with Hank Aaron? Certainly not this list.
Donaldson just won the Hank Aaron Award for being the top MLB hitter. His numbers have made him the top candidate for the American League MVP Award, drowning the competition in a sea of blue. The ‘Bringer of Rain’ washed away doubts of his game like a great flood that brought forth the founding soil for a great harvest of success, this fall. The city of Toronto smiled from ear to ear all through the summer and realized that his actions helped the club come within two wins of the World Series.
Does anyone even need to look at the defensive numbers after that?
If you do desire it, then it should be mentioned how the numbers, much like Machado, don’t do Donaldson justice. Blue Jays fans saw the odd mistake that Donaldson made, which drove down his fielding percentage lower than Machado’s and Longoria’s figures; however, the way that he sweated and bled to get balls that mortal men would have given up on ended up linking him to the fans in a very unique, Canadian way.
Donaldson’s dive into the stands to catch a fly ball, regardless of the fact that he caught it, made Canadians see the heart that he possessed. He busted his body to do what he could to help the club, showing his passion for the game, his teammates, the fans, as well as himself. Even famous hockey icon, and former Boston Bruins head coach, Don Cherry expressed his admiration for Donaldson, comparing him to other famous Canadian hockey icons for the way that he played the game. Cherry did this tribute during his program for the Stanley Cup playoffs, when he was supposed to be discussing the championship matchups. If you know anything about Canada, you know that hockey comes first over practically everything. For a baseball player to take the time away from the hockey worship, Donaldson has proven just how much he means not only to the Blue Jays but the entire country.