Blue Jays: Josh Donaldson gives new meaning to April Showers

The 2015 American League Most Valuable Player has picked up where he left off last season, with similar MVP numbers.

April baseball numbers are extremely inflated and mean just about nothing over the course of a 162 game season. Martin Prado and Aledmys Diaz probably won’t be batting over .400 come September, and there is a reason why MVP voting is not even discussed seriously until after the all-star break.

But Josh Donaldson was the first Toronto Blue Jays player to win the AL MVP since George Bell in 1987 and just the second in team history to accomplish the feat. He proved last season that his March and April numbers are sustainable, which is why this year, they are worth noting.

In Donaldson’s first good look in a Blue Jays uniform in April of 2015, he played in 23 games and had 100 played appearances. He got off to a strong start with a slash line of .319 / .370 / .549. He hit six doubles and five home runs, scored 18 runs and drove in 16. Donaldson walked just seven times, his lowest monthly total of the season, and struck out 18 times. His BABIP was at it’s highest point of the season at .348, proving that plenty was going right for the Blue Jays third baseman when he came to Toronto.

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The Blue Jays offence has obviously dipped from the monstrous output it showed last season. Strikeouts are up, runs are down, but the reigning most valuable player has been a refreshing model of consistency.

The Silver Slugger has already proven he is one of the most talented players in baseball and has captured the hearts of an entire country. It’s pretty clear from his driven personality and offseason interviews that the only thing on his mind is a World Series ring. Last year, most “baseball people” did not see MVP coming. He was great in Oakland — but not MVP great.

The amazing thing about Donaldson is how he handles pressure. The number of home runs he has hit to give the Blue Jays a lead or tie a ball game is a testament to that. Donaldson is a marked man in every ball park he goes to. He is the type of player pitching staffs spend hours watching video on, to try and figure out how to get him out or at the very least minimize the damage. While it helps having Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion to protect him, his high production level out of the gate this year with a target on his bat is a good sign.

In 25 April games this year and 111 plate appearances, Donaldson slashed .292 / .387 / .646. As the slugging  percentage indicates, the extra base hit totals have been overly impressive — eight doubles, one triple, and eight home runs. His 20 runs batted in and 24 runs scored lead the team and he nearly doubled last season’s seven walks with 13.

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Donaldson surpassed the monthly eight home run plateau twice last season in May (10) and August (11) en route to a 41 home run season. The early power numbers and overall consistent play are a strong indication that he will be in the running when MVP talks are taken seriously in the coming months.

For comparisons sake, the perennial MVP contender Mike Trout is doing what he always does — just about everything. The 24-year-old slashed .291 / .386 / .523 with five doubles and five home runs in April. He scored 12 runs and drove in 13.

Both Donaldson and Trout have brought their early season momentum into the first week of May. Trout has five hits in 10 at bats in two games already, including a home run and a double. Meanwhile in Toronto, Donaldson mashed his American League leading ninth home run of the season to kick off a new month.

While MVP debates are premature, the Mike Trout versus Josh Donaldson race is one of the most exciting and intriguing stories in all of baseball — we shouldn’t wait until August to fully embrace it.