Donaldson at his best here
Former MVP was part of an all-time trio with Bautista and Encarnación
Rain will still be brought, but from now on it will be happening on the golf course.
Josh Donaldson, who won the American League’s most valuable player award while helping the Blue Jays get to within two wins of the World Series in 2015, announced his retirement last week after 13 seasons in the big leagues.
“I left last season thinking that I wanted to be able to play one more year and try to go out with a bang,” the 38-year-old Donaldson said on the latest episode of “Deep Left Field,” the Star’s baseball podcast. “The more I sat home and saw how free agency was going, it really just made it pretty simple for me. I feel like I’ve been missing a lot back home.”
Donaldson produced at a Hall of Fame level over his first three years with the Jays before shoulder and calf injuries, posting an on-base plus slugging percentage of .946 and belting 111 home runs among 222 extra-base hits. But he wasn’t the same player in his final years, hitting just .207 with 25 home runs over parts of two seasons with the Yankees. He was released last August.
“It was a little unfortunate … that I didn’t really play anywhere near the standard that I’ve set for myself,” he said. “I felt like I could do it, physically and mentally, but it didn’t work out.”
He was picked up by Milwaukee and spent last September helping the Brewers to the NL Central title, then hit .286 in a first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Milwaukee was his seventh big-league team and eighth organization — the Alabama native was a first-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs in 2007, and traded to the Oakland A’s while still in Aball — but his best memories come from north of the border.
“Before I even (played for) Toronto, Toronto was one of my favourite cities to visit as a visiting player,” Donaldson said.
“I just really enjoyed the atmosphere. The people there were always very welcoming, very polite and I feel like they really treat athletes with a lot of respect. My time there was obviously probably the best point in my career, and Toronto is definitely always going to hold a special spot in my heart.”
The third baseman is one of only two Jays to be voted league MVP, the other being George Bell in 1987. Bell had an indelible partnership with fellow star outfielders Jesse Barfield and Lloyd Moseby; Donaldson was part of an all-time trio as well. When told of his trade to Toronto on a Friday night in November 2014, “I just thought to myself: I can’t believe I’m about to be in the lineup with (José) Bautista and Eddie (Encarnación).”
The three combined to hit 120 home runs in that magical 2015 season, with Donaldson’s 41 just ahead of Bautista’s 40 and Encarnación’s 29.
“It was perfect timing for me because I had José Bautista and Edwin behind me in the lineup, and so they had to pick somebody,” Donaldson said. “I happened to be in the front, so I felt like I was getting attacked in the zone quite often … making sure they’re throwing strikes.”
When Bautista hit the home run that quite literally shook the Rogers Centre — the bat-flip blast against the Texas Rangers in the fifth and deciding game of the Jays’ first playoff series in 22 years — Donaldson was on first base.
“That was probably the most special part of my career,” he said, “being a part of that.”
He was also on first when Encarnación hit a three-run homer to beat the Baltimore Orioles in the 2016 wild-card game. “(The walkoff homer) was awesome because there was no way that team should have just been one and done. We were way too good for that.”
A random June game in Tampa Bay provided another signature memory. Donaldson leaped into the stands to secure a foul pop in the bottom of the eighth inning, preserving a perfect-game bid by Marco Estrada that would come to an end one batter later.
The play was one Donaldson said he had been hoping to make for a long time, and almost did as a rookie in Oakland against the Yankees. That time, the ball was hit too deep into the stands. Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter noticed the abandoned attempt and, when Donaldson doubled in his next at-bat, Jeter told him he might want to relax a little and save his body for the grind of the long season.
“I just looked at him,” said Donaldson. “I said, ‘Mr. Jeter, I don’t mean any disrespect to you, but I’m going to make that play. I’ve been dreaming about that play since I was a little kid, about jumping into the stands.’ ”
Donaldson retires having been to the post-season nine times, but never to the World Series. He believes his best chance was in 2015, when the Jays went 42-17 from the trade deadline to their divisionclinching win in Baltimore.
“I don’t remember losing in the second half. I just remember the stadium being packed every night, and it felt like every day we went out there and won.
“Deep in my heart, I still believe that we should have won the World Series that year.”