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MLB Awards: 3 Finalists for AL MVP

By Joseph Calabrese

Oct 23, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson before game six of the ALCS against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson before game six of the ALCS against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

Josh Donaldson

  • Team: Toronto Blue Jays
  • Position: 3B
  • Key Stats: .297/.371/.568, 41 HRs, 123 RBIs (led AL), 6 SBs

It’s safe to say that Josh Donaldson had a career year in his first season as a Toronto Blue Jay.

Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane – after successful trips to the postseason from 2012-14 that ultimately failed to produce a trip past the American League Divisional Series each time – decided that it was time to pull the plug on the latest crop of playoff disappointing As. Jon Lester walked to the Chicago Cubs, starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija also ended up in Chicago via a trade to the White Sox, and Donaldson was traded to Toronto on Nov. 28, 2014, close to a year to the day, in a package headlined by disappointment Brett Lawrie and three minor-leaguers.

Donaldson immediately made an impact in all facets of the game. He provided Toronto with a game-changing bat, a bat that came up to the plate 711 times, good for second best in the AL. His fielding numbers took a slight dip – he was worth 2.7 dWAR in 2014 compared to 1.5 dWAR in 2015, but still made his fair share of standout plays at the hot corner. Most importantly, the Blue Jays won 93 games and an AL East Division Championship. A deep lineup featuring Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, 2014 free agent signing Russell Martin and mid-season trade acquisition Troy Tulowitzki did help the case.

Also, stat heads will obviously argue his legitimacy. According to FanGraphs, Donaldson is third, and actually trails Trout (and Bryce Harper) in Wins Above Replacement for 2015. Donaldson was worth 8.8 WAR in comparison to Trout’s 9.3. At this point, baseball’s advanced statistics have become so advanced that these Awards can be totally renamed – the “American League Most Valuable Player Award based on the highest WAR.” That’s too long and messy, and there absolutely needs to be the “eye test” factor included.

Donaldson admirably passes the eye test. He’s among the game’s best third basemen along with Nolan Arenado, Manny Machado, Kris Bryant, etc. When you watch him play, you watch a great player, and you watch, certainly, an AL MVP caliber player.

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