Josh Donaldson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Josh Donaldson |
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Donaldson with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015
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| Third baseman | |||
| Born: December 8, 1985 Pensacola, Florida, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 30, 2010, for the Oakland Athletics | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 1, 2023, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .261 | ||
| Home runs | 279 | ||
| Runs batted in | 816 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
Joshua Adam Donaldson (born December 8, 1985) is an American former professional baseball player. He was a third baseman for 13 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for several teams, including the Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays.
The Chicago Cubs picked Donaldson in the 2007 MLB draft. This was after he played college baseball at Auburn University. He started his MLB career with the Athletics in 2010 as a catcher. Later, he became an All-Star third baseman in 2014.
Donaldson was traded to the Blue Jays after the 2014 season. In 2015, fans voted him to start in the 2015 MLB All-Star Game. He received the most fan votes ever for a player. That same year, he won the American League's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. He also won the Silver Slugger Award and led the American League in RBIs (runs batted in) and runs scored.
After 2018, he played for the Cleveland Indians and then the Atlanta Braves. He later signed with the Minnesota Twins and was traded to the New York Yankees in 2022. Donaldson retired from baseball in March 2024.
Contents
Early Life and High School Sports
Josh Donaldson was born in Pensacola, Florida. He went to Pace High School for a year. Then, he moved to Faith Academy in Mobile, Alabama.
At Faith Academy, Josh played football, basketball, and baseball. In baseball, he was a shortstop and pitcher. As a senior, he was named the Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year. He helped Faith Academy win a state title. He set school records for hits, triples, doubles, and RBIs. In football, he played wide receiver, defensive back, and punter. He set a school record with 11 interceptions in one season.
College Baseball Career
Donaldson went to Auburn University to play college baseball. He played as a catcher and third baseman for the Auburn Tigers baseball team.
In his first year (2005), he started 39 games at third base. He hit seven home runs and started learning to play catcher. In his second year, he hit ten home runs. He also threw out many players trying to steal bases. In the summer of 2006, he played for the Harwich Mariners. He was an All-Star there, hitting .302.
Professional Baseball Journey
Drafted and Minor Leagues
The Chicago Cubs picked Josh Donaldson in the first round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft. He was drafted as a catcher. In his first minor league season, he played 53 games. He hit .335 with nine home runs.
In July 2008, the Cubs traded Donaldson to the Oakland Athletics. He then played for the Advanced-A Stockton Ports. He batted .330 with nine home runs there. In 2009, he played for the Double-A Midland RockHounds. He hit .270 with nine home runs and 91 RBIs.
Oakland Athletics (2010, 2012–2014)
Donaldson joined the major leagues for the first time on April 30, 2010. He filled in for an injured catcher. He hit his first major league home run the very next day. In 2010, he played 14 games and had five hits. He then spent time in the minor leagues, playing for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats.
In 2012, Donaldson officially became a third baseman. He started the season as the everyday third baseman for the A's. He helped the A's reach the postseason. He finished 2012 with nine home runs and a .241 batting average.
On April 12, 2013, Donaldson hit his first career walk-off home run. This means he hit a home run that ended the game instantly, winning it for his team. He also hit his first career grand slam on June 7. A grand slam is a home run with the bases loaded, scoring four runs. Major League Baseball named him the American League Player of the Month for September. He finished the 2013 season with 24 home runs and a .301 batting average. He was fourth in the AL MVP voting.
Donaldson was chosen for his first All-Star team in 2014. He started at third base for the American League. He hit another walk-off home run on July 17 against the Baltimore Orioles. Donaldson won his first Fielding Bible Award for his great defense at third base. In 2014, he hit 29 home runs and had 98 RBIs.
Toronto Blue Jays (2015–2018)
2015: MVP Season
On November 28, 2014, the Athletics traded Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays. In June 2015, he was named the American League Player of the Week. He batted .440 with six home runs and 11 RBIs that week.
Fans started a campaign to vote Donaldson into the 2015 MLB All-Star Game. He received a record 14,090,188 votes and was named the starting third baseman. He also took part in the Home Run Derby.
By the end of August, many people thought Donaldson was having one of the best seasons in Blue Jays history. Fans began chanting "M-V-P! M-V-P!" when he batted. On September 7, he hit his 100th career home run. He finished the 2015 season with a .297 batting average, 41 home runs, and 123 RBIs. His 8.8 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) was the highest in Blue Jays history for a single season.
In October 2015, Donaldson won the Sporting News MLB Player of the Year Award. He also won the American League Hank Aaron Award and the Silver Slugger Award. On November 19, 2015, he was named the 2015 American League Most Valuable Player (AL MVP). He was also featured on the cover of the video game MLB The Show 16.
2016: Another Strong Year
In February 2016, Donaldson signed a two-year contract extension with the Blue Jays. He continued his high level of play in 2016. He won another Player of the Week Award in June. He led the league in total bases and extra-base hits.
On July 7, he was chosen as a reserve for the American League in the 2016 All-Star Game. Before the All-Star break, he was batting .304 with 23 home runs. He also scored 80 runs, a Blue Jays record for runs before the All-Star break. On August 28, Donaldson hit three home runs in one game for the first time. He finished the 2016 season with a .284 batting average, 37 home runs, and 99 RBIs.
Donaldson played very well in the Jays' playoff series against the Texas Rangers. He hit for a .500 batting average and had five doubles. He also scored the winning run in a dramatic play. He won his second straight Silver Slugger Award.
2017 and 2018 Seasons
On April 13, 2017, Donaldson had to leave a game due to a calf strain. He returned to play in late May. From August 1 to the end of 2017, he hit .302 with 22 home runs.
In 2018, Donaldson signed a one-year, $23 million contract with the Blue Jays. He dealt with shoulder inflammation and calf strains that season. He was placed on the disabled list several times.
Cleveland Indians (2018)
On August 31, 2018, the Blue Jays traded Donaldson to the Cleveland Indians. He wore number 27 for the Indians. He was placed on the disabled list again due to a calf strain. He played 16 games for the Indians before the season ended.
Atlanta Braves (2019)
On November 26, 2018, Donaldson signed a one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves. In 2019, he batted .259 with 37 home runs and 94 RBIs. He was also excellent on defense, with a 15 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) rating. This was the best in the National League for third basemen. He was named the 2019 NL Comeback Player of the Year.
Minnesota Twins (2020–2021)
On January 22, 2020, Donaldson signed a four-year contract with the Minnesota Twins. In his first season with the Twins, he played only 28 games due to injury. He hit .222 with six home runs.
On May 29, 2021, Donaldson scored the 2,000,000th run in MLB history. This was a special moment in baseball history.
New York Yankees (2022–2023)
On March 13, 2022, the Twins traded Donaldson to the New York Yankees. On August 17, Donaldson hit a walk-off grand slam in the tenth inning. This means he hit a home run with the bases loaded that won the game. He became only the third Yankees player to hit an "ultimate grand slam" (a walk-off grand slam when his team was down by three runs).
In 2022, he batted .222 with 15 home runs and 62 RBIs. In 2023, he hit .142 with 10 home runs in 33 games. He was placed on the injured list with a calf strain in July. The Yankees released him in August.
Milwaukee Brewers (2023)
On August 31, 2023, Donaldson signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was called up to the major league team on September 11. In 17 games for the Brewers, he hit three home runs and had 11 RBIs. He became a free agent after the season.
On March 4, 2024, Josh Donaldson announced he was retiring from baseball.
Awards and Achievements
- Awards
- American League Most Valuable Player Award (2015)
- Hank Aaron Award (2015)
- 2× Home Run Derby participant (2014, 2015)
- Fielding Bible Award (2014)
- 3× MLB All-Star (2014–16)
- MLB Player of the Month (September 2013)
- 4× MLB Player of the Week (April 28, 2013; May 31, 2015; August 9, 2015; June 19, 2016)
- Players Choice Awards for American League Outstanding Player (2015)
- Players Choice Awards for Major League Player of the Year (2015)
- 2× Silver Slugger Award at third base (2015, 2016)
- Sporting News Major League Player of the Year (2015)
- Achievements
- Blue Jays' record for highest single-season WAR (8.8 in 2015)
- Blue Jays' record for most runs scored before All-Star break (80 in 2016)
- Hit 3 home runs in one game (August 28, 2016)
- Scored MLB's 2 millionth run (May 29, 2021)
- Hit the 31st ultimate grand slam in MLB history.
Personal Life and Hobbies
Josh Donaldson was raised by his mother, Lisa French.
His father watched him play baseball in person for the first time on September 13, 2013. Donaldson hit a home run and a double in that game.
Donaldson grew up a fan of the Atlanta Braves. Besides baseball, he has always loved golf. When he was only 18 months old, he was on local TV showing off his golf swing. He appeared on the Golf Channel in 2014 and hit a ball an estimated 309 yards in a simulator.
Donaldson is a big fan of the History channel show Vikings. In 2016, he even had a guest appearance in the show as a character named "Hoskuld." His nickname "The Bringer of Rain" comes from an episode of the show Spartacus: Blood and Sand.
Donaldson and his wife, Briana Miller, have a daughter born in November 2020. They got married in January 2024.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career OPS leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career slugging percentage leaders
- List of Toronto Blue Jays team records
- Toronto Blue Jays award winners and league leaders
