It has to be tough to stick out in a lineup loaded with All-Star-caliber players such as Troy Tulowitzki, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, but Josh Donaldson proved to be the best of the bunch in 2015, winning the American League MVP award. Could he repeat as the league’s top player in 2016? There’s a very solid chance he could.
Playing at the Rogers Centre in Toronto gives Donaldson a slight advantage over the competition seeing as it can be a very hitter-friendly park with favorable dimensions down the left and right field lines.
In 2015, the then-29-year-old Donaldson finished with a .297 average to go along with 41 home runs and 123 RBI — by far the best season of his career.
Before his MVP campaign, Donaldson was just a pretty solid player for the Oakland Athletics, never posting more than 30 home runs or 100 RBI in his three-year career prior to 2015. His career-best average was .301 in 2013, but other than that, he never broke .260 for a season.
Trending in the right direction, Donaldson could help the Blue Jays to the playoffs in 2016 and win another AL MVP.
Next: 4. Yoenis Cespedes, Mets