TORONTO — There’s lots more to Josh Donaldson’s game than his hitting.
Without a doubt the offensive production distinguishes Donaldson. He’s among baseball’s top hitters with a .304 batting average, 36 homers and a .961 OPS.
But there are other reasons Donaldson will hear “MVP” chants every time he steps to the plate in Toronto this year, and they were on full display in a 5-1 win over the Cleveland Indians Wednesday.
When Troy Tulowitzki stepped to the plate in the second inning, Donaldson was on third base after hitting a two-run double. Tulowitzki hit a pop-up to shallow right field and Donaldson tagged up, waiting to see who would make the catch. If right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall had made the play, Donaldson likely would have stayed put, but Jason Kipnis made the grab setting up a tough throw for the second baseman.
“I felt like his momentum was carrying him back which makes it a little more difficult,” Donaldson said. “I felt like I had an opportunity to score right there so I took it.”
It’s not a play that works every time, but he took a calculated risk, gambling on his own athleticism. Kipnis made an accurate throw, yet Donaldson evaded catcher Yan Gomes with an athletic slide that capped off Toronto’s rally and wowed the Blue Jays’ bench.
“It’s gotten to the point where nothing this guy does surprises you anymore,” said R.A. Dickey, who pitched a complete game in the win. “He’s a superhero, really. He’s in a special place right now. He’s got such a great game clock and you can’t really teach that. It’s an intangible that some guys possess and he’s got it.”
Those instincts can give Donaldson an edge, even if speed isn’t his specialty.
“It’s really probably not the strength of my game I would say, but what I would say is I try to be on top of what I need to do,” Donaldson said. “People might call it baseball IQ. I try to think as the game is going on (about) what opportunities I’m going to have and when they show up I try to take advantage of them.”
Later in the game, that same aggressiveness allowed Donaldson to stretch a single into a double — his 37th of the season.
“He’s a madman,” manager John Gibbons said. “He’s on a mission … He’s in the top of just about every category there is and it’s fun to watch. It’s fun to be a part of.”
But Donaldson’s intensity hasn’t affected his durability, a trait the Blue Jays prized when pursuing him last off-season. While staying focused and productive in the course of a long season can be a challenge, Donaldson says it’s simply part of the job.
“That’s why we’re in the big leagues,” Donaldson said. “That’s what separates a lot of guys. You have guys that are very talented in the minor leagues that could be in the big leagues, but it’s that focus factor and the ability to think throughout the game and just be a baseball player and be able to take that to the field day in and day out. I think that’s a very huge part of being a good player.”
On defence Donaldson has provided a steady stream of highlight reel defensive plays, a major reason he had an American League-best 7.4 wins above replacement entering play Wednesday. He plays in the same league as Mike Trout, so there’s no guarantee he’ll be the top candidate for the MVP once the season ends, but with 29 games remaining, the Blue Jays third baseman is a leading contender.
While Donaldson sparked the Blue Jays offence with three hits and three RBIs, Dickey turned in one of his best starts of the season. The knuckleballer pitched a complete game four-hitter, striking out six without walking a batter in front of a sellout crowd of 46,538 at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays have now won each of his last nine starts.
“To go nine innings this late in the year, that doesn’t happen too often,” Gibbons said. “I tip my hat to him.”
With the win, the Blue Jays improve to 76-57, maintaining a 1.5 game lead over the New York Yankees, who won again Wednesday. The Blue Jays are 26-6 since falling below the .500 mark on July 28 and have now won four consecutive series.
Dickey, now 7-0 since the All-Star break, says the Blue Jays have a little more swagger than before.
“That mentality may have grown a little bit,” he said. “We’ve got some pretty big fists in here. But you’ve got to have that quiet confidence that you’re really, really good or you won’t be good.”
With 12 homers since July 28, Donaldson has been a major reason the Blue Jays have been really, really good. But he’s more than a slugger, and games like this show that the chants he hears nightly are well-earned.