Blue Jays Baseball: Is this a new brand?

Exhibit A: Donaldson tags up and shocks us all.

By now, you’ve likely seen this video a few times. And you should. You’ll likely see it over and over again. Josh Donaldson tagging up on a pop up to deep second base is a gutsy move. It nearly failed. But, it didn’t. It worked out beautifully. It’s the kind of play that people go nuts about and talk about for days after. Most people would not have tried to advance on a shallow hit ball like that. But, Donaldson is not most players. He has shown many times that he is going to take risks and do everything he can to help his team win.

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Can you remember a Blue Jays player who played aggressively and had it work? We’ve seen lots of bone head aggression. There have been guys who play hard, but don’t exactly do it at the right time. Or, they try too hard and end up just making poor decisions. Forcing the issue comes with the territory of having a middling team. You try to make things happen, to force plays. We’ve seen it lots and lots.

But, this year, the team is different. Calculated risks and hard nosed baseball are paying off. And, it is plays like this one that help rally a team. If your best (read: most valuable) player is pulling out all the stops, you’d better step up your game. It sets a tone. It sends the message that you’d better play hard.

Next: Exhibit B: It's All About That Base