The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
MORE BRAVES INSIDE
» Donaldson still seen as one of game’s best when healthy,
The National League East champs added a former MVP to help defend their title — and maybe take them a step further.
Third baseman Josh Donaldson is the Braves’ latest acquisition, signed to a oneyear, $23 million deal Monday on the heels of the Brian McCann signing. Donaldson, still regarded as one of the game’s best hitters when healthy, has a long-standing relationship with general manager Alex Anthopoulos.
“I am very happy to be here and share not just this day with Alex, but a lot of memories we’ve had before, and to added memories in the future,” Donaldson said Tuesday at his introductory news conference. “With that said, I was a huge Braves fan growing up. I was a big players fan, and my very first favorite player was Ron Gant. So it’s been a very full circle from coming to my very first Braves game, first major league baseball game when I was about 12 years old, now I’m 32 years old and wearing this jersey, and wearing it with pride.”
Donaldson hails from Pensacola, Florida. He played at Auburn from 2005-07 and lives in Daphne, Ala. His major league career took him from Oakland to Toronto to Cleveland — not exactly locales boasting southern charm.
But he’s figuratively returned home with Anthopoulos acquiring him for the second time. Donaldson joined Anthopoulos’ Blue Jays before the 2015 season, when he went on to hit .297/.371/.568 with 41 homers, 123 RBIs and 122 runs, winning American League MVP honors.
“What an add for us,” Anthopoulos said. “What a huge piece for us. He just makes our team so much better. I’m thrilled that he had a lot of options for where he wanted to go, being a free agent, and he chose to be here.”
He is several years removed from that highlight year, and the once-iron man has spent a healthy portion of last season on the disabled list. Two calf strains limited him to 52 games, in which he produced a .246 average with eight homers and 23 RBIs.
From 2013-16, Donaldson played no fewer than 155 games. It was an adjustment devoting an entire season to recovery, not to mention being traded entering the season’s final month.
When he’s right, Donaldson is one of the more potent right-handed hitters in baseball. He’s not long removed from hitting .270 with 33 homers and 78 RBIs across 113 games in 2017.
Among active third basemen, Donaldson is second in slugging percentage (.507), fifth in homers (182) and ninth in RBIs (551).
“The offensive profile with his power, his on-base, grind at-bats, great at contact as well, right-handed,” Anthopoulos said. “Intense, competitive gamer. Smart player. That’s hard to find.
“We were concerned, coming into the offseason, about the way our offense performed in the second half of the season. It’s not something we wanted to announce, because we could still improve in the bullpen and the rotation, but the offense, we wanted to get a power, middle-of-the-order bat that brings a presence in the clubhouse, plus defense as well. We couldn’t have found a better fit for us and for this club.”
He’s also reliable defender, fielding third in 805 of his 883 career games. He anticipates his heath benefiting from playing more on grass (as opposed to enduring 90-plus games on turf, as he did with the AL East’s Blue Jays).
Donaldson feels he’s already ahead of schedule health-wise. He’s been running the past few weeks, feeling “comfortable and confident” in his recovery. He’s reunited with much of the training staff he had in Toronto, including head trainer George Poulis.
“George means a lot,” Donaldson said. “He understands me and understands my body. He did a great job for me in Toronto, making the adjustments going to a turf field and really helping me with recovery. He’s a good person as well. I trust him.”