Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson hit the 100th home run of his career in the first inning of Monday’s 11-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox, going deep off Rick Porcello to give the Jays an early 1-0 lead, per Sportsnet Stats.
Part of MLB‘s most dangerous lineup, Donaldson already has a career-best 37 home runs this season, after hitting 24 (2013) and 29 (2014) in his final two years with the Oakland Athletics.
He has more than justified the hefty price the Jays paid to acquire him in the offseason, with his 37 homers (third in MLB) complemented by MLB-leading totals in RBI (115) and runs (107).
Also boasting a .306 batting average and an excellent defensive reputation, Donaldson leads all American League players with 7.7 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), per Fangraphs.
With Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout in second place at 6.6 WAR and Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado in third at 5.5, it appears Donaldson is the favorite for MVP honors.
If he does in fact win, Donaldson will become the first AL player since 1972 (Dick Allen) to earn the award after being traded in the offseason, per ESPN’s Buster Olney.
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