Josh Donaldson

Donaldson bounced back from an injury-plagued 2020 season to provide the productive middle-of-the-order bat when he signed the largest free agent contract in franchise history (four years, $84 million). It looked like Donaldson would repeat his injury woes when he strained his hamstring legging out a double on his first at-bat of the season. After missing two weeks, Donaldson managed to avoid the IL again, but played just 135 games as he needed maintenance for chronic calf and hamstring issues. Donaldson still displayed elite power with a 94.1 mph exit velocity and 48.4 hard-hit percentage, which both ranked in the top 5% of hitters. He was also a steady glove at third base though his metrics were not elite (19th at 3B in DRS). He drew walks at a good clip and even reduced his strikeouts. He still profiles as a top power option at third base, but at age 36 his injury risk is considerable.

The Twins signed Donaldson to the largest free agent contract in franchise history (four years, $84 million) before last season to add another impact bat. When in the lineup Donaldson delivered with an .842 OPS and a 131 OPS+. However, Donaldson missed half the season. After playing just seven games, he missed a month due to a right calf injury. He then aggravated the injury the last weekend and missed the playoffs. Donaldson still showed elite power with a 92.8 mph exit velocity and 53.4 hard-hit percentage, which ranked in the top 20 hitters with at least his few plate appearances, according to Baseball Savant. He also added an impact glove as he ranked 8th among third baseman with 11.9 UZR/150. His health remains a concern as he's had chronic calf injuries (missing 38 games with right calf strain in 2017) and played just 52 games in 2018 with a left calf and shoulder injury. Donaldson remains a top power option at third base, but with considerable injury risk.

Following a disappointing 2018 season, Donaldson bounced back with the Braves, hitting .259/.379/.521 with 37 home runs and 94 RBI. The third baseman had a career-high 47.5% hard-hit rate, which ranked eighth among qualified hitters. The former American League MVP benefitted from a talented lineup around him in Atlanta, maximizing the impact of his 70 extra-base hits. Donaldson also ranked ninth among qualified hitters with a walk rate of 15.2%, and he trimmed his K-rate slightly to 23.5% despite a downtick in Z-Contact%. He will hit in the middle of another talented lineup after inking a long-term deal with the Twins. Target Field plays slightly worse for right-handed power than Truist Park in Atlanta. Injuries cost Donaldson significant time in 2017 and 2018, but he showed he can still be a highly-productive and valuable fantasy asset when healthy.

Donaldson finished as one of 2018's biggest busts. In his age-32 season, he missed 18 games with shoulder inflammation (which hindered throws from third base) before a calf injury sidelined him from May 28 to Sept. 11 -- he returned to major-league competition days after Toronto traded him to Cleveland. His contact percentage tanked while his Statcast barrel rate dropped from a handy 8.7% in 2017 to a worrisome 6.4%. Keep in mind, however, that he's just one season removed from a .944 OPS, 33-homer effort. Further, he still walked in 14.2% of his plate appearances last year and rattled off a .396 wOBA in 60 September plate appearances. The Bringer of Rain landed with the Braves on a one-year deal in November, and while that means he won't have the luxury of DHing on occasion, he will be hitting in the heart of a strong lineup. Just plan for more off days than most heart-of-the-order bats if you target him as a bargain run producer.

While most of Toronto's bats languished in 2017, Donaldson only noticed a minor dip in performance once he shook off an early-season calf injury, which cost him about six weeks. After struggling initially upon his return, Donaldson found his swing in the second half, ranking fifth in baseball with a 160 wRC+ after the All-Star break while swatting 24 home runs and reaching base at a .386 clip. The lack of production around Donaldson still proved costly, however, particularly in the runs category, where his total dropped from 122 in 2016 to 65 in 2017. The Blue Jays' aging offensive nucleus makes it unlikely that Donaldson will hit the lofty heights in runs and RBI he reached in 2015 and 2016, but the 32-year-old remains one of the game's premier power bats, even in an era of rising home-run outputs. There is still a lot to like here, though his team context probably takes Donaldson out of the first-round conversation.

Donaldson's 2016 season wasn't as productive as his 2015 MVP campaign, but he still returned first-round value. Playing through nagging injuries all year, the third baseman managed the second-most runs (122) and walks (109) in the league while ranking in the top five for slugging percentage (.549) and OPS (.953). When evaluating Donaldson's 2016, it's important to recognize that some numbers dipped primarily because he was pitched around. The 30-year-old had only 11 fewer plate appearances than the previous season, but 43 less at-bats. He demonstrated incredible plate discipline with a 0.9 BB/K and 15.6 percent walk rate. Although ailments popped up throughout the season, he managed to never miss an extended period of time, and none of the injuries should linger into 2017. He is in the prime of his career, and could once again be a MVP candidate in 2017.

Donaldson earned his first American League MVP award behind a brilliant season in Toronto, in which he set career highs in home runs (41), runs scored (122), RBI (123), and OPS (.939). The move from Oakland's cavernous coliseum to the homer-happy Rogers Centre led to by far the best power production of Donaldson's career. Donaldson was a fine .263/.343/.487 hitter on the road, but he hit a blistering .330/.398/.647 in Canada, where he clubbed 24 of his 41 homers. Donaldson has been a great hitter for a few years now — since 2005, only three players have multiple seasons of 20 home runs for Oakland: Jack Cust, Brandon Moss, and Donaldson. In other words, even though Donaldson had a career year, it wasn't that far above what we already knew he could do. He will be the engine in the Blue Jays' lineup again next year, and there is no reason he can't repeat this effort.

There was much discussion last offseason as to whether Donaldson's 2013 season was a fluke, but after a second straight year of finishing in the top-10 of the AL MVP vote, it is pretty clear that Donaldson is here to stay. Donaldson improved on his power stats with 29 homers and 98 RBI, but the one black eye on his season was his large drop in batting average. After a sparkling .301 in 2013, Donaldson managed to only hit .255 in 2014. This drop can be attributed to a horrific slump from early June until the All-Star break where Donaldson hit .158 over a 133 at-bat stretch that was spurred by a ridiculously low .165 BABIP. His overall BABIP fell from .333 in 2013 to .278 in 2014. Traded to the Blue Jays in late November, Donaldson will move into a more hitter-friendly environment and an excellent lineup, which could further bolster his counting stats – particularly in the power categories – in 2015.

Donaldson was one of the breakout stars in all of baseball last year, hitting .301 with 24 homers and 93 RBI, finishing fourth in the AL MVP race and serving as the MVP for many fantasy owners who drafted him very late or added him early in the season as a free agent. Donaldson came on strong at the end of 2012 (a second-half OPS of .844) and carried that success into 2013. He was strong all season and only had one month (July) where he slumped, and he went on to finish the season in the top 10 in the AL in slugging, on-base percentage and OPS. Donaldson will hit in the middle of the order for the A's in 2014 and should be one of the top offensive third basemen in the league. For those who think last year was a fluke, thank them for passing on Donaldson, grab him in your league, and enjoy the production.

Donaldson was one of many interesting stories from the 2012 A's season. He began spring training as a catcher, but after Scott Sizemore tore his ACL on Day 1 of the camp, he was converted to third base. Initially, he struggled mightily at the plate while hitting .153 with one homer over 100 plate appearances, and was sent down to Triple-A. After Brandon Inge got hurt, Donaldson was called up and hit for a much better slash line of .290/.356/.489 over his final 176 at-bats and helped a number of fantasy teams who were able to use him as a catcher. A's general manager Billy Beane said that Sizemore would be moving to second base in 2013, which is a great sign that Donaldson will be the starter at third base on Opening Day.

Donaldson saw both his power and patience dip at Triple-A Sacramento, though 17 homers and 51 walks in 444 at-bats is far from terrible. His has no real role as long as Kurt Suzuki racks up 135-game campaigns as the A's catcher, despite a similar skill set, with Suzuki under contract through at least 2013. With Scott Sizemore suffering a torn ACL early in spring training, Donaldson will likely become a factor in the playing time battle at third base in Oakland. He offers a combo of moderate power and speed, and could provide an endgame option for AL-only and deep mixed formats if he wins the job.

Donaldson had 18 homers and 45 walks in just 294 at-bats at Triple-A Sacramento, though his season pales a bit upon initial inspection thanks to a .238 average. He's pretty well blocked in Oakland however with Kurt Suzuki locked up through 2013 this past summer.

Donaldson entered the 2008 season as a solid catching prospect, but was dealt to the A's as part of the Rich Harden deal after a terrible start to year (.217/.276/.349) at Low-A Peoria in the Cubs' system. He revived his prospect status once in the Oakland chain, hitting .330/.391/.564 at High-A Stockton in 188 at-bats before a decent showing in the Arizona Fall League (.288/.315/.452). He played exclusively at first base in the AFL, but Phoenix already had three catchers rostered so it's unclear if it's a permanent move from out behind the plate. He'll need to hit well at Double-A Midland, and stay behind the plate, before we can gauge his long-term fantasy potential.