When the Toronto Blue Jays acquired Josh Donaldson in the latest offseason they knew they would be getting an above average third basemen. They did not think they would be getting an MVP frontrunner who has been the leader of a team atop the AL East. The Toronto Blue Jays have the longest playoff drought in the MLB and have not been back since they won the world series during the 1993 campaign. A loyal fan base north of the border has been waiting for October baseball in Canada and it looks like Donaldson’s first year in Toronto will bring just that.
Donaldson currently has a stat line of .299/.367/.575 and while he does not lead the league in any of those categories, he leads the league in RBI’s with an absurd 120. He also has clubbed 39 home runs and is sixth in the majors with 173 hits. His main competition for this year’s MVP is reigning champion Mike Trout. In comparison Trout has a stat line of .291/.394/.580 and has hit 39 homers with 85 RBI’s. He also has 153 hits and his team is in danger of missing the playoffs which is always something voters pay attention to. With those two being the frontrunners, Donaldson has an edge in average RBI’s and hits while also being on a playoff team. If the vote was taken as we stand, Donaldson would most likely edge out the reigning MVP winner.
As for the Blue Jays as a team, they are becoming the most exciting team to watch in baseball. With the acquisition of Troy Tulowitzki and David Price at the trade deadline, the Blue Jays front office showed that they are going for it all this year. The top four hitters in their lineup, Tulowitzki, Donaldson, Jose Bautista, and Edwin Encarnacion, are among some of the most feared hitters in baseball that no pitcher wants to face come October. The rotation being bolstered by the addition of David Price has now gained another pitcher with World Series experience when he went to the Fall Classic with Tampa Bay in 2008. Veteran Mark Buehrle also has World Series experience and won one with the Chicago White Sox in 2005. Role players have also stepped up for this team with players like centerfielder Kevin Pillar making ridiculous highlight catches and catcher Russell Martin adds more playoff experience. With a solid mixture of experience and talent, do not be surprised if the World Series trophy heads north of the border led by MVP frontrunner Josh Donaldson.