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Josh Donaldson and Bryce Harper win Outstanding Player awards

By David Rouben

Oct 21, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) hits a double during the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals in game five of the ALCS at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 21, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) hits a double during the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals in game five of the ALCS at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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Josh Donaldson and Bryce Harper have taken home the Outstanding Player Award for the AL and NL respectively, as voted on by the players.

The Players Choice Awards have been awarded on Monday, and the Outstanding Player Award has been decided upon. As decided by secret ballot, the AL Outstanding Player belongs to Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays while Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals took home the NL Outstanding Player.

The Outstanding Player Award differs from the MVP Award since the former is decided upon by players around the league and only includes batters, while the MVP is decided by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and includes both batters and pitchers. Suffice it to say, these two are firmly in the running for the MVP Award as well since they both had outstanding individual seasons.

It was a frustrating season for Nationals fans with many expecting them to challenge for the World Series after they stocked up on talent in the offseason. They ended up missing the playoffs entirely which culminated in Matt Williams getting fired.

However, if there’s one player who doesn’t deserve any blame, it’s Bryce Harper. It was truly a breakout year for the stud outfielder as he hit 42 home runs, 99 RBI, and collected a .330 batting average, and at just 23 years old, he’s only going to get better.

Josh Donaldson had a breakout year of his own, hitting 41 home runs, 123 RBI, and getting a .297 batting average. On a team that was loaded with offensive talent, Donaldson stood out, leading his team in every offensive category while his remarkable play at third base propelled the Blue Jays to the playoffs for the first time since 1993, where they got beat out by the eventual World Series champion Kansas City Royals in the ALCS.

He came to the Blue Jays in a trade that involved Brett Lawrie, Sean Nolin, Kendall Graveman, and Franklin Barreto. It was a steal for the Jays, and it was one of many trades that landed now former Blue Jays GM the title of Executive of the Year. Even if he regresses slightly next season, he still has Bautista, Encarnacion, and Tulowitzki to help pick up the slack. As long as he’s around, expect the Blue Jays to remain competitive with the rest of the league.

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