Josh Donaldson makes ridiculous catch in the stands (video)
The outstanding Toronto Blue Jays third baseman continues to make his MVP case.
Next: Derek Jeter and MLB's 20 Richest Players
With how well Josh Donaldson has been hitting this season, it’s easy to forget he’s one of the best defensive players in the game.
Donaldson proved that point during the eighth inning of Wednesday’s contest, going full extension into the stands to catch a foul ball off the bat of David DeJesus, via Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star.
Considering the catch kept a perfect game intact for Toronto starter Marco Estrada in a contest that went to extra innings tied at zero, the effort was probably worth it. Logan Forsythe would break up the perfecto during the next at-bat on an infield single that Donaldson almost made a terrific play on.
That might be even more impressive than Derek Jeter’s iconic flying-into-the-stands catch, so hopefully it gets the same amount of replay. Luckily, Donaldson landed near a Jays fan who got out of the way enough to allow him to make the catch.
Along with Nolan Arenado’s tarp adventure, Donaldson’s catch stands out as an early nominee for MLB play of the year. Donaldson has been worth an impressive 38 runs saved since the start of 2013 according to FanGraphs.com.
Donaldson ranks near the top of the AL with 3.8 WAR and is in the MVP discussion for now. Having a highlight reel play won’t hurt his chances.
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