Healthy Donaldson looks to be a hit with Minnesota
Former Blue Jays MVP third baseman impresses Twins on field and in clubhouse
Like the rockets he sends over the outfield walls around Major League Baseball, Josh Donaldson believed he was always going to land a home-run contract.
It just took some unscheduled time and pain to get there.
Back in the American League as a member of the Minnesota Twins, Donaldson has his big deal, his health and every intention of being a big influence on a major contender.
“This lineup has a similar feel to some of the ones we had up in Toronto,” Donaldson said Sunday in an interview at his newest spring home.
“This lineup is going to be pretty dangerous to deal with as well. It’s exciting to have the expectations going into this year with the capability of this offence and all the power in it.”
The excitement is there on several levels for Donaldson, notably starting with the fouryear Us$92-million deal he signed to join the powerhouse Twins, the clear favourite to win the AL Central.
And with his health back and his mental outlook locked in, Donaldson believes he has everything in order after taking a oneyear deal with Atlanta in 2019 as he climbed out of the rut dug from his final season in Toronto.
“(Signing the contract) was gratifying more for the sense for the sacrifices made with the things that happened leading up to last season,” Donaldson said. “Obviously 2018 was a very rough season for me. Mentally, physically, emotionally it was all very real.
To be able to get past that and make the adjustments to go out there and have success is what means the most.”
It didn’t hurt that his old pal from Toronto, Braves team president and general manager Alex Anthopoulos, was there to help with the rescue in the form of a one-year, Us$23-million deal.
Donaldson found everything he needed in Atlanta, including a full season at third base and another trip to the playoffs.
“It was tough,” Donaldson said of the transition following his departure from the Jays in August, 2018 to his brief stint with Cleveland and then his first trip to the free-agent market.
“It was one of those ordeals that’s hard to measure. When you hear the term rock bottom
— I was at a breaking point in my career and I needed to figure some stuff out.
“I feel like every step I made (with the Jays) it wasn’t working. To finally get out in front of that and overcome that made it that much more special.”
Donaldson says the rough run in Toronto resulted in a complete breakdown — from the physical toil of his injuries (notably his calf ), to the disconnect that was created with the team’s training staff in which neither side got on the same page.
“The physical needs start draining on you mentally,” Donaldson said.
“For the two seasons I was dealing with it and not really getting the answers that I was looking for, or that were helping me, led to frustration and doubt overall.”
Donaldson isn’t dwelling on that demise any longer, however.
He says he’ll always be grateful for his glory years in Toronto, including his 2015 MVP season but he’s moved on. The 2019 National League comeback player of the year is 34 and when he signed his deal in January — after weighing options around the league — it was the largest freeagent signing in Twins history.
So yes, the Bringer of Rain is set to return to familiar parks and on yet another playoff contender. And more importantly, a week into spring training, he’s already making a strong first impression on his new team.
“He’s fit in really nice within our clubhouse,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said on Sunday.
“I’ve had a chance to see Josh play a lot throughout the years up in Toronto and we know what kind of offensive player he is. Frankly, I’ve been very impressed with him defensively. I know he’s a good defensive player but visually he’s even more impressive than I was expecting.”
Donaldson wasn’t brought in to be a mentor to anybody, of course. The Twins believe they can do some damage in the AL and that both offensively and defensively he can be a significant addition for the team’s bold playoff intentions.
“Adding Josh Donaldson is a very specific type of add,” Baldelli said. “He’s extraordinarily dangerous at the plate. It’s a very aggressive swing but it’s refined as well. It’s aggressive. It’s impactful. It’s all these different things.
“He does damage but he does it under control and he does it with a discerning eye. He has a great idea of what he’s trying to do at the plate which allows him to attack the pitches he wants to and take the pitches most people swing at.
“You add that all together and you end up with an Mvp-calibre player.”
Donaldson sees himself as a good fit with the Twins and in particular is a fan of Target Field.
During our conversation, he fondly recalled a four-game series in Minnesota in which he was 10-for-17 with five home runs.
“Obviously the lineup is something that I feel I have the potential to maximize myself in,” Donaldson said.
“That was a drawing feature. Playing well in the past in that ballpark was a drawing feature. Being back in the American League ... those things were all pretty much attractions to me.”