Full name is Joshua Adam Donaldson...Is nicknamed ¡°Bringer of Rain¡± after the TV series Spartacus: Blood and Sand¡Spartacus, who is a gladiator, defeats the fighting legend Theokoles which brings rain to a country during its current drought, at which point Spartacus was called ¡°Bringer of Rain."...Earned the 2021 Mike Augustin ¡°Media Good Guy¡± Award, voted on by the Twins Cities Chapter of the BBWAA...Started the Josh Donaldson Foundation, which helps underprivileged children as well as youth from single parent homes with opportunities to participate in activities that offer access to sports, mentorships and positive life experiences...Hosted the Josh Donaldson Virtual Baseball ProCamp, a clinic via Zoom in June 2020 during the pandemic with proceeds directly benefiting COVID-19 relief efforts...Is an avid basketball card collector...Was originally drafted as a catcher¡played catcher and both corner infield positions until becoming primarily a third baseman in 2012...Played collegiately at Auburn University¡in his three-year career at Auburn, he batted .307 with 28HR¡in 2007, he led the Tigers with a .349 batting average and 54RBI¡led the team with 10HR in 2006¡was selected as the third baseman for the NCAA All-Region Tournament Team in 2005...Attended Faith Academy H.S. in Mobile, Ala., where he was named Alabama Independent School Association ¡°Player of the Year¡± and Alabama Gatorade ¡°Player of the Year¡± during his senior year.
2022
In his first season with the Yankees, batted .222 (106-for-478) with 59R, 28 doubles, 15HR, 62RBI, 54BB, 8HP, 6SF and 2SB in 132 games¡made 104 starts at 3B and 23 starts at DH...43 of his 106H were extra-base hits (28 doubles, 15HR)...Seven of his 15HR either tied the game (two) or gave the Yankees the lead (five)...Was one of five players in the Majors to have at least three ¡°walk-off¡± hits and one of three players to have at least four ¡°walk-off¡± plate appearances...Homered in consecutive games three times (3G from 7/6-8, 2G from 5/12-13 and 9/16-17)...Made his Yankees debut on Opening Day on 4/8 vs. Boston, hitting a ¡°walk-off¡± single in the 11th inning¡according to Elias, Donaldson was just the third Yankee since RBIs became an official stat in 1920 to record a ¡°walk-off¡± RBI in their Yankees debut¡joined Roy Weatherly on 4/22/1943 vs. Washington-AL (also Opening Day) and Chase Headley on 7/22/2014 vs. Texas...Hit his first HR as a Yankee on 4/16 at Baltimore, a go-ahead two-run HR in the fifth inning...Recorded a season-high 24-game on-base streak from 4/19-5/18, batting .280/.410/.500 (23-for-82) with 12R, six doubles, 4HR, 11RBI, 16BB and 2HP¡was the fourth-longest on-base streak of his career, trailing only a career-long 29-game streak from 4/6-5/7/14-G1, a 28-game streak from 8/25-9/23/13 and a 26-game streak from 6/21-7/23/16...Hit safely in 16-of-18 games from 4/26-5/18, batting .313/.410/.522 (21-for-67) with 9R, five doubles, 3HR, 10RBI, 10BB and 1HP over that stretch...Recorded a season-high 10-game hitting streak from 4/26-5/9¡batted .278 (10-for-36) with 3R, three doubles, 3RBI and 6BB in that stretch¡marked his longest hitting streak since an 11-game stretch from 7/29-8/8/19...Collected 3RBI in consecutive games from 5/12-13 at Chicago-AL¡drove in at least three runs in back-to-back games for the fifth time in his career (last: 2G from 9/2-3/17 with Toronto)...Was placed on the COVID-19 injured list on 5/23¡was then transferred to the 10-day injured list on 5/27 (retroactive to 5/24) with right shoulder inflammation...Was reinstated from the 10-day injured list on 6/3¡missed 10 team games...Was 1-for-4 with a double and a ¡°walk-off¡± sac fly in the 10th inning on 6/5 vs. Detroit¡marked his 13th career ¡°walk-off¡± plate appearance and second of the season (also a ¡°walk-off¡± single on Opening Day vs. Boston)...Recorded 10RBI over a four-game span from 7/6-9, the fifth time in his career he has recorded at least 10RBI over a four-game span (last: 4G from 8/26-29/16)¡also drove in a run in a season-high four straight games from 7/6-9, his longest streak since a career-high-tying five-game streak from 6/25-7/1/21 with Minnesota...Homered in three consecutive games from 7/6-8, the 11th time in his career he has homered in at least three straight games and his first time since a three-game streak from 6/27-30/21 with Minnesota...Collected 7HR and 15RBI over a nine-game span at Fenway Park from 9/25/17-7/8/22¡according to Elias, was just the fifth visiting player to hit at least 7HR and record at least 15RBI over a nine-game span at the venue, joining Joe Carter (10HR/18RBI from 1987-88), Vic Wertz (7HR/24RBI from 1957-58), Gus Zernial (7HR/15RBI from 1953-54) and Babe Ruth (7HR/18RBI from 1927-28)...Hit a go-ahead grand slam in the third inning on 7/7 at Boston (2-for-4, 1R, 1HR, 4RBI)¡marked his sixth career grand slam and his first since 9/28/18 at Kansas City with Cleveland...In addition to his grand slam on 7/7 at Boston, Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks both hit grand slams on 7/6 at Pittsburgh¡according to Elias, it marked the ninth time in Major League history a team has hit three grand slams over a two-game span¡joined the 2011 Yankees (3GS on 8/24/11), 2006 Mets (3GS from 7/16-18/06), 2000 Mariners (3GS from 8/8-9/00), 2000 Dodgers (3GS from 5/20-21/00), 1996 White Sox (3GS from 5/18-19/96), 1980 Brewers (3GS from 4/10-12/80), 1925 Pirates (3GS from 6/20-22/25) and 1901 Brooklyn Superbas (3GS from 9/23-24/1901)...Hit a ¡°walk-off¡± grand slam in the 10th inning on 8/17 vs. Tampa Bay (1-for-4, 1R, 1HR, 4RBI, 1HP)¡according to Elias, became the 10th Yankee in franchise history to hit a ¡°walk-off¡± grand slam, joining Mark Teixeira (9/28/16 vs. Boston), Alex Rodriguez (4/7/07 vs. Baltimore), Jason Giambi (5/17/02 vs. Minnesota), Mike Pagliarulo (5/8/87 vs. Minnesota), Ruppert Jones (8/12/80 vs. Chicago-AL), Joe Pepitone (4/17/69 vs. Washington-AL), Charlie Keller (8/12/42 vs. Boston), Red Ruffing (4/14/33 vs. Boston) and Babe Ruth (9/24/25 vs. Chicago-AL)¡Elias also notes that Donaldson was just the third Yankee to hit a ¡°walk-off¡± grand slam with the club trailing by at least 3R, joining Jason Giambi (trailing 12-9 in the 14th inning) and Babe Ruth (trailing 5-2 in the 10th inning)¡was later joined by Giancarlo Stanton who also hit a ¡°walk-off¡± grand slam with the club down by 3R on 9/20 vs. Pittsburgh¡was the fifth Yankee to hit a ¡°walk-off¡± grand slam in extra innings, joining Jason Giambi (14th inning), Ruppert Jones (10th inning), Joe Pepitone (10th inning) and Babe Ruth (10th inning)¡marked his 14th career ¡°walk-off¡± PA and third of the season (also ¡°walk-off¡± single in the 11th inning on Opening Day vs. Boston and a ¡°walk-off¡± sac fly in the 10th inning on 6/5 vs. Detroit)¡marked his 13th career ¡°walk-off¡± hit and second of the season¡was his eighth career ¡°walk-off¡± HR and first since 9/27/15 vs. Tampa Bay with Toronto¡marked his seventh career grand slam and second of the season (also 7/7 at Boston)...Reached base in 14 straight games from 9/4-24¡reached base multiple times in nine of those 14 games...Was on the paternity list from 9/7-10, missing four team games...In 12 games following his return from the paternity list (9/10-24), batted .313/.382/.521 (15-for-48) with 10R, one double, 3HR, 8RBI, 5BB, 1HP and 1SF...Hit a game-tying solo HR in the ninth inning on 9/16 at Milwaukee¡marked his 16th career HR and second of the year that either tied the game or gave his team the lead in the ninth inning or later (also his ¡°walk-off¡± grand slam in the 10th inning on 8/17 vs. Tampa Bay)...Recorded his 700th career walk in the eighth inning on 9/21 vs. Pittsburgh...Hit a ¡°walk-off¡± single in the 10th inning on 9/22 vs. Boston¡marked his 15th career ¡°walk-off¡± plate appearance and fourth of the season (also a ¡°walk-off¡± grand slam on 8/17 vs. Tampa Bay, a ¡°walk-off¡± sac fly in the 10th inning on 6/5 vs. Detroit and a ¡°walk-off¡± single in the 11th inning on Opening Day vs. Boston)¡ was his 14th career ¡°walk-off¡± hit and third of the season...Started all nine of the Yankees¡¯ postseason games, batting .172 (5-for-29) with 1R, one double and 7BB¡reached base in seven of those nine games¡reached base in 8-of-20 plate appearances (4H, 4BB) during the ALDS, posting a .400 OBP¡recorded 3BB in ALDS Game 2 vs. Cleveland, marking his most walks in a postseason game in his career and the most by a Yankee in a postseason game since Giancarlo Stanton recorded 3BB in 2019 ALDS Game 1¡went 1-for-13 with one double and 3BB during the ALCS.
2021
Hit .247/.352/.475 (113-for-457) with 73R, 26 doubles, 26HR, 72RBI and 74BB in 135 games over two stints with the Twins (4/1, 4/14-end of the season)¡reached the 25HR plateau for the sixth time¡played in 92G (91GS) at third base and 34G as the designated hitter...His 74BB led the Twins and ranked 14th in the American League¡also ranked tied for second among Twins leaders in games and third in home runs, hits and RBI...Reached base safely in 120 of 135 games played (via H, BB or HP)...Batted .297 (11-for-37) with 5R, 3 doubles, 1HR, 6RBI and 6BB in 15 Interleague games....Was Minnesota¡¯s Opening Day third baseman for second straight season on 4/1 at Milwaukee¡was removed from the game due to injury in the first inning after hitting a double in his first at-bat of the season....Was placed on the 10-day injured list from 4/3 (retroactive to 4/2) - 4/14 with a mild right hamstring strain, missing nine team games...Hit safely in each of his first six games from 4/1-21, batting .556/.600/.778 (10-for-18) with 4R, 1 double, 1HR, 3RBI and 2BB in that span¡recorded a season-high 4H on 4/21 at Oakland (4-for-6, 3R, 1HR, 2RBI)...Scored Major League Baseball¡¯s two-millionth run on a ground rule double by Nelson Cruz in the first inning on 5/29 vs. Kansas City...Hit 2HR on 6/3 at Kansas City (3-for-5, 3R, 1 double, 2RBI)¡also hit 2HR on 6/11 vs. Houston (2-for-4, 2R, 2RBI)¡marked his 21st and 22nd multi-homer games of his career (first since 2HR on 8/25/19 at the Mets with Atlanta)...Hit a game-tying two-run HR in bottom of the ninth on 6/10 vs. the Yankees off Aroldis Chapman¡marked his 30th career hit in the eighth inning-or-later that either tied the game or gave his team the lead...Drove in at least one run in five consecutive games from 6/25-7/1, recording 7RBI in that stretch¡homered in three consecutive games from 6/27-30, tied for second-longest home run streak of his career...Hit .275/.354/.638 (19-for-69) with 14R, 1 double, 8HR, 13RBI and 8BB over 21 games in June¡his 8HR were tied for the eighth-most in the AL for the month...Drew at least 1BB in five straight games from 7/24-28, recording 7BB in that stretch¡was tied for the fourth-longest walk streak of his career....Collected his 699th and 700th career RBI with a two-run HR in the sixth inning on 7/26 vs. Detroit¡the home run measured 446 feet, marking his longest of the season...Hit a game-winning RBI single in the 11th inning on 8/6 at Houston off Rafael Montero and hit a game-winning two-run HR in the 10th inning on 8/25 at Boston off Hansel Robles¡marked his 10th and 11th career hits that gave his team the lead in extra innings (first since a game-winning solo HR in the 10th inning on 7/31/19 at Washington with Atlanta)...Batted .333/.391/.635 (21-for-63) with 10R, 4 doubles, 5HR, 14RBI, 5BB and 1HP in 16 games from 8/13-30¡ recorded five multi-hit games over a seven-game stretch from 8/24-30, batting .440/.533/1.040 (11-for-25) with 6R, 3 doubles, 4HR, 8RBI, 4BB and 1HP in that span....In 22 games in August, hit .278/.360/.519 (22-for-79) with 11R, 4 doubles, 5HR, 15RBI, 9BB and 1HP...Homered in consecutive games on 9/17-18 at Toronto, his first games back in Toronto since being traded by the Blue Jays during the 2018 season¡marked the fourth time he homered in consecutive games in 2021 (also 2G from 8/24-25, 3G from 6/27-30 and 2G from 6/10-11)...Hit his 250th career home run on 9/30 vs. Detroit, a three-run shot off Tarik Skubal in the third inning.
2020
Was Twins Opening Day third baseman July 24 at Chicago-AL, batting second and going 0-for-3 with two walks...signed to four-year contract over offseason...Recorded first hit as Twin on July 25 at Chicago-AL, hitting an infield single off Evan Marshall...hit first home run as Twin July 28 vs. St Louis, a solo shot off Carlos Martinez...Placed on 10-day Injured List with right calf strain Aug. 7 (retro Aug. 4)...was hitting .182 (4-for-22) with four walks, seven strikeouts and one extra-base hit in seven games at the time; reinstated Sept. 2...Suffered seventh career ejection Sept. 17 at Chicago-AL by umpire Dan Bellino...argued a strike call, homered on next pitch then kicked dirt on home plate as he scored...Posted a .925 OPS in 21 games after returning from injury, going 14-for-59 (.237) with two doubles, five home runs, nine RBI and 14 walks... reached safely in season-long 10 straight games Sept. 13-23, hitting .226 (7-for-31) with a .400 on-base percentage in that span...Missed final two games with cramps in his right calf...Twins were 17-8 (.680) with him as their starting third baseman...Was not on Twins AL Wild Card Series roster with Houston, suffering from cramps in right calf.
2019
Won the NL Comeback Player of the Year award...batted .259 (142-for-549) with 37 home runs, 94 RBI, 100 walks and 96 runs scored in his first career National League season, after signing a one-year contract with Atlanta on November 28, 2018...Became the 10th player (14th instance) with at least 30 doubles, 30 homers, 90 runs scored, 90 RBI and 100 walks in his age-33 season or older, and the first since Cincinnati's Joey Votto in 2017...Tied for 10th in MLB with a 50.0 Hard Hit Percent, according to Statcast (min. 100 batted ball events)... also ranked eighth with a 92.9 mph average exit velocity (min. 200 occurrences)...Drew 100 walks for the second time in his career (also, 109 in 2016 with Toronto), the first triple-digit walk season for a Braves hitter since Chipper Jones in 2009 (101)...became one of seven players in the Atlanta-era of Braves history (1966-present) to walk 100 or more times in a season, joining Jones (1999, 2002, 2009), Jeff Burroughs (1978), J.D. Drew (2004), Darrell Evans (1973-75), Dale Murphy (1987) and Jimmy Wynn (1976)...According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Donaldson's 37 home runs were the fifth-most homers hit by a player in his first season for the Braves in franchise history...the four higher are Andres Galarraga (44 in 1998), Davey Johnson (43 in 1973), Jeff Burroughs (41 in 1977) and Wally Berger (38 in 1930)...His home run total ranked fourth in the Atlanta-era of single-season franchise history for third basemen...since 1966, when the Braves relocated to Atlanta, only Chipper Jones (45 in 1999 and 38 in 2001) and Darrell Evans (41 in 1973) hit more home runs in a season among third basemen...Also became the fifth player in Braves franchise history to hit 35 home runs and draw 100 walks in a season, joining Chipper Jones (1999), Dale Murphy (1987), Darrell Evans (1973) and Eddie Mathews (1954-55, 1960)...29 of his 37 home runs came after June 10, when he was ejected after being plunked by Pittsburgh's Joe Musgrove...during that span, his total ranked third in the National League and fifth in the Majors, trailing Eugenio Suárez (35), Pete Alonso (32), Jorge Soler (31) and Nelson Cruz (30)...Hit his 200th career home run on July 7 off Miami's Trevor Richards, becoming one of 37 active players to reach the 200-homer milestone...also recorded his 600th career RBI on July 12 at San Diego...Committed 13 errors in 148 games at third base, good for a .969 fielding pct. which ranked seventh among qualified third basemen...his 15 Defensive Runs Saved at third base led the NL and ranked second in MLB behind Matt Chapman-OAK (18), per Fangraphs...his 68 DRS since 2012 is third most among major league third basemen in that span, behind Nolan Arenado-COL (117) and Manny Machado (89)...Ranked third among qualified third basemen with eight Outs Above Average, per Statcast, behind Arenado (17) and Chapman (14).
2018
Split the season between Toronto and Cleveland, while also going to the disabled list, first with right shoulder inflammation (4/11-5/3) and then with a left calf strain (5/29-9/11) ... Appeared in 36 games with Toronto and hit .234 (32-for-137) with five home runs before he was dealt to Cleveland at the August trade deadline ... Cleveland acquired him 20 minutes before the 8/31 waiver trade deadline and he reported to the club the following day ... Placed on the 10-day D.L. on 9/3 (retroactive to 9/1) and began a rehab assignment that day with Columbus (AAA), hitting a grand slam in his first game off Toledo's Warwick Saupold ... Made his Cleveland debut on Sept. 11 ... Appeared in 16 games with the Indians, compiling a .280 (14-for-50; .920 OBP) average and three home runs to end the season ... Overall with Cleveland, he made 12 starts at third base and two starts at DH...He was 12-for-35 (.343) with a 1.020 OPS over his last 11 games to end the season, 9/19-30 ... Connected for his fifth career grand slam; his second of the season, on 9/28 at KC (hit first grand slam, 4/9 at BAL with the Blue Jays) ... Began a rehab assignment in Dunedin (A) on 8/28, appearing in two games prior to the trade ... Sixteen of his 32 hits with Toronto were for extra-bases…Homered in both games of a doubleheader on 5/3 at CLE, collecting four extra-base hits on the day in his first game off his first trip to the DL ... Became the 11th Toronto batter to homer in both games of a doubleheader ... Finished one home run shy of the Toronto record for most career homers by a third baseman (Kelly Gruber, 107) ... Went 1-for-11 (.091) in three games against Houston in the ALDS.
2017
Led the Majors with 15 home runs in the 1st inning (2nd, G. Stanton-14)…The last time a player had 15+ 1st-inning homers was in 2001 (Alex Rodriguez - 18 and Sammy Sosa - 16) ... Ranked 1st in the AL with 24 home runs after the All-Star Break, the 2nd most in club history (Bautista - 30 in 2010)…In the second half among AL batters, ranked 2nd in SLG (.606), 2nd in OPS (.992), 4th in RBI (53), 4th in walks (45) and 6th in total bases (154) ... Hit 12 home runs in August, tied for the most among AL hitters (also M. Machado and G. Sanchez)…The 12 blasts were his most ever in a month and tied for the most all-time by a Blue Jay in August (Bautista-2010, Cruz Jr.-2001, Delgado-1999) ... Led the AL with 11 game-winning home runs, one back of MLB leaders G. Stanton and E. Thames ... Hit 30+ home runs for the third straight year and is the only third baseman in club history to record multiple 30+ HR seasons ... 18 of his 33 HR accounted for Toronto's first runs of the games ... Since joining the Jays in 2015, 65 of his 111 HR (59%) have either tied the game or given his team the lead which leads the Majors over that period ... Became one of three Toronto third basemen to with 100+ HR (Gruber-107, Donaldson-104, Sprague-103) ... Tied Kevin Pillar for the most 3+ hit games on the team (9) ... Missed 38 games from April 14-May 26 as he was placed on the disabled list with a right calf injury (1st DL stint of his career)...Played in less than 155 games for the first time since 2012 (75G) ... Put together a streak of reaching base in 15 straight games from May 29-June 16 (.352, 6-HR, .462 OBP, 1.202 OPS) ... Hit a home run into the fifth deck at Rogers Centre (435 feet) on May 30 vs. CIN, becoming the 9th different Blue Jay to accomplish the feat (11th time)…Had been done last by E. Encarnacion on April 21, 2015 vs. BAL ... Hit six homers over an 11-game span from June 2-11 ... Hit his 9th HR of the season (150th career) on July 8 vs. HOU, ending an 80 consecutive homerless at-bat streak, the longest of his major-league career ... Reached base safely in seven consecutive plate appearances from July 8-9 (BB, BB, HR, BB, 1B, 1B, BB) ... Hit his 14th and 15th homers on Aug. 8 vs. NYY…The latter marked his 2nd career HR in a 3-0 count (Aug. 18, 2015 at PHI)…Recorded his only 4-RBI game of the year (16th career 4+ RBI game) ... Belted a three-run home run on Aug. 15 vs. TB...Those three RBI gave him 500 for his career…Gave him homers in three consecutive contests (Aug. 13-15) for the second time in his last 15 games (also July 31- Aug. 2) ... Recorded a multi-hit game in five consecutive contests from Aug. 13-17...Was his longest such streak since June 7-12, 2015 (five straight) ... Made his 1st career start at shortstop on Aug. 20 at CHC, becoming the first player to make his MLB debut as a catcher (2010 for OAK) and then make a start at SS since 1971, when Ron Brand made a start at short for the Expos ... Hit his 100th home run as a Blue Jay on Aug. 23 at TB…Was his 6th HR over a 6G span vs. the Rays…His 8-HR vs. TB in 2017 were the most by a Blue Jay against any opponent since Jose Bautista in 2014 vs. NYY (8-HR) ... Collected 10 hits in the series from Sept. 14-17 at MIN to become one of 13 Blue Jays all-time with 10+ hits in a series (last: Lind, 10H, May 23-26, 2013 vs. BAL) ... Hit five home runs over a 3G span from Sept. 15-17…The last Toronto batter to hit that many HR over a 3G span was Encarnacion from May 18-21, 2014 ... Recorded his 29th and 30th homers on Sept. 17 at MIN to become the third Blue Jay to record back to back multi-HR games (Encarnacion, May 20-21, 2014 & Barfield, Sept. 1-2, 1983)…Gave him 30+ HR in three straight seasons, which only five other active players have done (Encarnacion - 6, Rizzo - 4, Cruz - 4, Machado - 3, Arenado - 3) ... Had his 6th multi-HR game on Sept. 26 at BOS...Joined Miguel Cabrera (2 HR, Sept. 15, 2016), Eric Hosmer (2 HR, June 10, 2016), and Ryan Raburn (2 HR, Sept. 7, 2015) as the only hitters with multiple HR off Chris Sale in one game ... Collected multiple hits on Sept. 27 at BOS for the 28th time of the year...Also marked his 6th consecutive multi-hit road game (.630, 17-for-27, 13R, 3-2B, 8-HR, 11-RBI), which tied the 2nd longest streak in franchise history (Dave Collins - 7G in 1984) and the longest since Marco Scutaro did so in six straight games during the 2009 season.
2016
Became the 6th player in Blue Jays history with consecutive seasons of at least 300 total bases, joining Carlos Delgado (4, 1998-2001), Jose Bautista (2, 2010-11), Shawn Green (2, 1998-99), Joe Carter (2, 1991-92) & George Bell (2, 1986-87)...Became the only third baseman in club history to record multiple 30+HR seasons...Set a Blue Jays record for most BB by a third basemanin a season with 109, surpassing the previous mark set by Troy Glaus in 2006 (80-BB)....Seven of his 15 hits in the postseason went for extra base hits (6-2B, 1-HR)…Collected six doubles in the playoffs - a franchise-high for most doubles in a single postseason…In fact, of his 35 career postseason hits, 14 have gone for XBH (10-2B, 4-HR)...His .417 (15-36) average was the best mark among all players this postseason and also ranks as the 2nd highest average for a Blue Jay player in a single playoff run in franchise history (Paul Molitor, .447 in 1993)…Was 4-for-6 with RISP, with three of those hits going for doubles...Went 4-for-4 with a BB in game one of the ALDS, becoming the 6th player in franchise history (7th time) to record four hits in a single postseason game…Is just the second Blue Jays player to reach base safely five times in a playoff game (Roberto Alomar, Oct. 11, 1992 at OAK - 11 innings)... Went 3-for-3 with 2-BB on Sept. 15 at LAA, snapping a 0-for-23 hitless streak (2nd longest of career)…It marked the 7th time in 2016 to have reached base at last five times in a game.
2015
Earned several post-season awards most notably being AL MVP, earning 23 of 30 first place votes...Is the just the 2nd Blue Jays to earn the award (George Bell - 1987)...Named Player of the Year by the Sporting News and by his peers (Players Choice Award)...Picked up the Hank Aaron Award as AL's best hitter, in addition to earning his first Silver Slugger Award at 3rd base...Ranked 1st in RBI (123) & XBH (84), 2nd in WAR (8.6), SLG (.568), 3rd in OPS (.939) &T-3rd in HR (41) among AL hitters...Recorded 57 multi-hit games (T-3rd in AL), including 16 with 3+H (6th in AL)...His 116 RBI as a 3B are most by a 3B in a season in club history¡Is just the 6th player in club history to have 120+ RBI in a single season and the first since Jose Bautista in 2010...Hit his 41st HR of the year, a walk off shot, September 27 vs. TB¡Was his 3rd walk off HR of the year¡Those three walk off home runs are the most in a single season by a TOR player in club history¡Has seven walk off HR over the past three seasons (no other player has more than three)¡Of those 41-HR, 27 either tied the game or gave TOR the lead¡His 38 HR as a 3B were the 2nd most HR by a 3B in club history in a single season (Batista-41, 2000)...Became the fifth TOR player to record 40 HR & 120 RBI in a season (Bautista-2010, Delgado-1999, 2000, 2003, Green-1999, Bell-1987)¡His 111 RBI as a number two hitter in the lineup, the most RBI out of that particular spot in the lineup since Jay Bell had 111 RBI in 1999¡The 37-HR he hit as the number two hitter in the lineup, most in club history¡ His 123 RBI, the most by a player in their first year with a new team since Josh Hamilton (130-TEX) & Miguel Cabrera (127-DET) in 2008¡Became the ninth Blue Jay to hit 40 home runs in a season & the third player in club history to record 40-2B/40-HR in the same season (Green-1999, Delgado-2000)...Slugged his 100th career home run, a one run shot off of Rick Porcello September 7 at BOS. Recorded 35-RBI in August marking a new club record (matched by Encarnacion) for most RBI in any month surpassing Delgado's record of 34 RBI in June 2003¡Along with Encarnacion joined Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig (July 1931/June 1930) as the only teammates with 10+ HR & 35+ RBI in the same month...Set a club record for most RBI by a Blue Jay in his 1st year with the club (123) surpassing Paul Molitor's 111 RBI set in 1993...Set a career high with 6-RBI August 23 at LAA, the most RBI by a Jay in a game since Edwin Encarnacion on June 20, 2014 at CIN (surpassed by Encarnacion on Aug. 30 vs. DET)¡Became 1st player in ML to record 100-RBI this year, a new career high¡Fastest Blue Jay to 100-RBI (121G) since C. Delgado in 2003 (102G)...Became the 5th player to reach 100 RBI first in a season, while playing in his first season with a team¡The others were Babe Ruth (1920 NYY), Dave Kingman (1984 OAK), Miguel Tejada (2004 BAL) and Josh Hamilton (2008 TEX)¡Became the 2nd Blue Jay to be first to 100 RBI in a season (Delgado-2003)...Was the first Blue Jay since 2010 to record 30+ HR & 30+ 2B in the same season (Jose Bautista 54-HR/35-2B & Vernon Wells 31-HR/44-2B)¡Became the 20th different player in club history with 30-HR in a season¡Was the 15th different player in club history to record 30+ HR & 30+ 2B in the same season...Collected his third multi-homer game of the season (6th career) August 18 at PHI, tying his career-high mark set in 2014...Hit his 29th HR August 5 vs. MIN, tying his career high that he set with OAK in 2014¡Recorded his 3rd walk-off hit of the season (2-HR, 1-1B) July 31 vs. KC, knocking in Tulowitzki in the 11th inning¡The three walk-off hits at the time were the most by a Jay since Orlando Hudson in 2005 (3)...Hit his first career home run on a 0-2 count July 7 vs. BOS...Had his streak of five straight games with a multi-hit effort snapped June 13 at BOS¡It was 2nd time in his career to achieve this feat, last: April 9-13, 2013...May 29 at MIN homered in four consecutive contests May 25- 29, the first time to accomplish the feat in his career...Hit his 6th career walk off home run (2nd of the year) May 26 vs. CWS...Collected his 1st career leadoff home run in his 1st career start in the leadoff position May 1 at CLE...Stole two bases for the 1st time in his career April 25 at TB...Hit his 5th career walk-off HR (last: July 18, 2014) April 18 vs. ATL...Recorded his 4th career multi-HR game April 17 vs. ATL (last: Aug. 12, 2014 at KC)¡Along with Russell Martin became the first TOR teammates to hit multiple HR in the same game since June 19, 2012 at MIL (Bautista & Rasmus)¡Also marked his 1st HR as a member of the Blue Jays...Was the Major League-leading vote-getter for the 2015 All-Star Game¡Collected 14,090,188 total votes, setting a new all-time single-season voting record, surpassing Josh Hamilton's 2012 total of 11,073,744¡It marked the 3rd time in the last five seasons that a TOR player led the ML in All-Star voting after Jose Bautista finished as the top vote-getter in 2011/2014¡TOR became the 1st team to have different players finish as the top vote-getter in the Majors in consecutive seasons¡It is his 2nd consecutive fan selected start (2014-2015), becoming the 2nd AL-3B to earn consecutive fan-elected starts with different teams, joining Wade Boggs ('92-BOS, '93-NYY)¡Was the 1st TOR-3B & 4th TOR-INF to win a fan election, joining Roberto Alomar (1991-94), John Olerud (1993) & Carlos Delgado (2003)...Led all ML third basemen with 4.7 WAR at the All-Star break (2nd: Manny Machado - 4.1). Was removed in the 6th inning of game one of the ALDS vs. TEX for precautionary reasons after a collision at second base (head)¡Would later clear concussion tests...Hit his first career postseason home run (50th career at-bat) in game two of the ALDS¡It was his first career RBI in the playoffs... Recorded his second home run of the postseason in game four of the ALDS at TEX¡Two of his three home runs in the playoffs were hit in the 1st inning¡Of his 44 home runs on the season (regular and postseason) 15 were hit in the opening frame¡25 of those home runs gave TOR the lead...Became the 5th Blue Jay player in franchise history to hit three home runs in a single postseason, joining Joe Carter (1992), Candy Maldonado (1992), Paul Molitor (1993) & Jose Bautista (2015)¡Those three home runs are T-3rd most in Blue Jays playoff history behind Carter (6) and Bautista (4)...Along with Goins and Tulowitzki, became the first trio in club history to each drive in three runs in a postseason game (Game three of the ALCS).
2014
Was elected to his first American League All-Star team...Finished 8th in MVP voting...Ranked 6th in the AL in walks (76), 8th in runs (93), tied for 9th in home runs and games played and tied for 10th in RBI and extra base hits (62)… Led the A's in runs, hits (155), doubles (31), home runs, RBI, walks, games and at bats (608)...Had career highs in runs, home runs, RBI, stolen bases (8), hit by pitches (7), at bats and strikeouts (130)...Matched his high in games and walks...Was a perfect 8-for-8 in stolen base attempts and is now 17-for-20 (85.0%) in his career...Batted .275 with 14 home runs in 153 at bats against left-handed pitching (10.9 at bats per home run) compared to .248 with 15 home runs in 455 at bats against right-handers (30.3 at bats per home run)… His 14 home runs off lefties were the most in the majors and the most by an Athletic since Mark McGwire also had 14 in 1995… Slugged .627 against lefthanders, which ranked 5th in the AL, compared to .398 against righties… Is tied for the ML lead with 29 home runs off lefties over the last three years...Batted .299 with runners in scoring position, including .362 with RISP and two outs… Ranked 3rd in the AL in batting with RISP and two outs… Now has a .311 (108-for-347) career average with RISP, which is the best in Oakland history among players with 400 or more plate appearances with RISP… Hit 14 of his 29 home runs with runners on base (four three-run, 10 two-run)...Led Major League third baseman in doubles plays (43), total chances (482) and assists (328) and ranked second in putouts (131) and errors (23)...His .952 fielding percentage was 4th lowest among AL qualifiers...Led ML third basemen in home runs (27) and ranked second in RBI (95) and walks (71)...18 of his home runs came on the road, which tied for 4th in the AL...Had three walk-off home runs to lead the Majors...Has appeared in 306 games at 3rd base over the last two seasons... Only Kyle Seager has played in more (317)...Participated in the Home Run Derby and lost in a tie breaker to teammate Yoenis Céspedes in the1st round...Had a career-high 0-for-33 streak from June 6 to 15.
2013
Was the A's top offensive performer in 2013 as he batted .301 with 24 home runs and 93 RBI in 158 games…became the eighth player in Oakland history to hit at least .300 with 20 or more home runs and 90 or more RBI, the first since Miguel Tejada in 2002 … ranked sixth in the American League in on-base percentage (.384), tied for sixth in times on base (256), tied for seventh in walks (76), ninth in slugging percentage (.499) and total bases (289) and 10th in RBI and pitches seen (2688) … also tied for fourth in the AL with 56 multiple hit games…that was the third highest total in Oakland history and fell one short of the record of 57 (Tejada, 2002; Kotsay, 2004)… finished fourth in AL Most Valuable Player voting behind Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout and Chris Davis…received one first place vote…led the A's in games, batting average, RBI, walks, on-base percentage, total bases and extra base hits (64) and tied for the team lead in hit by pitches (6)…had career highs in every offensive category after appearing in just 89 games over his first three seasons…ranked third in the AL with a .364 batting average with runners on base…it was the fourth best batting average with runners on base in Oakland history…had a .252 average with the bases empty … his career splits are .329 (122-for-371) with runners on, .239 (123-for-514) with the bases empty…ranked third in the AL with a .335 batting average against left-handed pitchers, fifth with a .328 average in the seventh inning or later, sixth with a .316 average at night, seventh with a .309 average on the road and ninth with a .336 average with runners in scoring position…now has a .320 (64-for-200) career average with RISP … went 8-for-12 (.667) with a double, home run and 16 RBI with the bases loaded … the batting average was second best in the AL…it was the best in Oakland history among players with 10 or more plate appearances (Giambi, .636 in 2000)…is now 12-for-22 (.545) in his career with the bases loaded…tied for fourth in the AL with 11 home runs against left-handed pitching … had a .631 slugging percentage against lefties, which ranked second in the AL, compared to .442 against righties…hit 12 of his 24 home runs with runners on base (nine two-run, two three-run, one grand slam)…17 of his 34 career home runs have come with runners on…14 came in the sixth inning or later … ranked second among AL third baseman in doubles (37), RBI (90), walks (76) and on-base percentage (.384), was third in batting (.300) and fourth in home runs (24) and slugging percentage (.502)…the .300 batting average as a third baseman was third best in Oakland history…was hitting .310 with 16 home runs and 61 RBI in 93 games before the All-Star Break…then batted .286 with eight home runs and 32 RBI in 65 games after the break…had a .366 average with six home runs and 17 RBI in 20 interleague games…the six home runs tied the Oakland interleague record (Moss, 2012;Tejada, 2000)…also had the third best slugging percentage (.662), tied for the third most runs (16) and hits (26) and had the fourth most RBI…tied for fifth in the majors in interleague home runs in 2013, tied for seventh in RBI and ranked 10th in on-base percentage (.439) and slugging percentage (.662) … now has a .348 (32-for-92) career average against the National League with seven home runs and 22 RBI in 26 games…started 157 games, including 155 at third base at two at designated hitter … his 155 starts ranked third among AL third basemen and tied for fifth in Oakland history…they were the most since Sal Bando also made 155 starts in 1976 … now has 226 career games at third base, which is sixth most in Oakland history … led Major League third baseman and ranked fourth in Oakland history with 143 putouts … they were the most by an A's third baseman since Sal Bando had 158 in 1970…tied for first among AL third basemen with 16 errors and was fourth in total chances (414)…went 3-for-9 (.333) in his two starts at designated hitter…started games at every spot in the order except first and ninth…hit .353 in 38 games batting sixth, .321 in 29 games batting fifth and .220 in 30 games hitting third.
OAKLAND: Was the A's Opening Day starter at third base but went 3-for-25 (.120) over his first seven games…then had a streak of five straight multiple hit games from April 9 to 13 (10-for-22, .455)…had his first career game-ending RBI April 12 against Detroit, a home run in the bottom of the 12th inning… added two more later in the season, a RBI single in the 11th inning July 14 against Boston and a RBI single in the ninth inning Sept. 17 against Los Angeles (AL) … was a perfect 4 for 4 April 27 against Baltimore, matching his career high in hits (August 17, 2012 vs. Cleveland)…also had four-hit games May 14 against Texas and May 25 at Houston … was named American League Player of the Week for the week of April 22-28…it was his first career weekly honor…went 12 for 22 (.545) with four runs, seven doubles (.864 slugging percentage), 10 RBI and seven walks (1 sf, .633 on-base percentage) in seven games…finished April with a .314 batting average, 10 doubles and 20 RBI…tied for fourth in the AL in doubles in April and tied for sixth in RBI…then hit .330 with eight doubles and six home runs in 28 games in May…went 12-for-26 (.462) during a seven-game hitting streak from May 11-18, which was the longest of his career at the time … made his Major League debut at shortstop in the ninth inning May 24 at Houston…had one appearance at shortstop in the minors with Triple-A Sacramento on Aug. 2, 2012 … went 3-for-4 June 5 at Milwaukee to lift his batting average to a season-high .332…then went 6-for-41 (.146) over his next 10 games to fall to .303 at the conclusion of play June 17…hit his first career grand slam in the sixth inning June 7 at Chicago (AL), turning a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 win…hit .390 (23-for-59) with five home runs and 14 RBI over a 17-game stretch from June 18 to July 7…had a career-high 17-game streak without an RBI from July 19-Aug. 6 … had a career-high tying 0-for-17 streak July 24-29 (third time, last: April 13-May 14, 2012)…went 0-for-3 July 27 against Los Angeles (AL) to fall under .300 (.299) for the first time since May 13…finished July with a .233 batting average and eight RBI in 25 games…his average fell to .291 on Aug. 9 … then hit .323 with seven home runs and 30 RBI over his final 46 games … reached base safely via hit or walk in a career-high 28 consecutive games from Aug. 25-Sept. 23…it was the longest reaching base streak by an Athletic over the last five years…hit .379 with a .472 on-base percentage during the streak…had a career-high 11-game hitting streak from Sept. 3-15…batted .450 (18-for-40) with 12 runs, six doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI, seven walks (1 hbp, .542 on-base percentage) and six multiple hit games during the streak…had his sixth two-double game of the season Sept. 3 against Texas, which tied an Oakland record for most games with two or more doubles in a season (sixth time, last: Bobby Crosby in 2004)…scored a career-high three runs Sept. 6 against Houston…had his batting average up to .307 Sept. 23 before going 0-for-12 over his final four games to finish the year at .301…was named American League Player of the Month for September after batting .337 with 20 runs, eight doubles, five home runs, 16 RBI, 17 walks and 11 multiple hit games in 25 games … ranked third in the AL in runs in September, fourth in walks, tied for seventh in extra base hits (13) and tied for 10th in doubles…he is the first Athletic to win Player of the Month honors since Eric Chavez in Sept., 2001…started all five games at third base in the ALDS against Detroit and went 3-for-21 (.143) with eight strikeouts.
2012
Was moved to third base following the injury to Scott Sizemore at the start of Spring Training and made the A's Opening Day roster...batted .153 with one home run and seven RBI in 28 games over two stints with the A's prior to the All-Star Break...returned in mid-August to hit .290 with 11 doubles, eight home runs and 26 RBI over his final 47 games ...had a .241 batting average in 75 games overall...added 16 doubles, which was fourth most among American League rookies...also ranked sixth among rookies in home runs (9) and tied for seventh in RBI (33)...batted .246 with five home runs in 191 at bats against right-handed pitching compared to .229 with four home runs in 83 at bats against left-handers...hit six of his nine home runs on the road...his average improved to .296 with runners in scoring position...made 71 starts at third base and three at catcher...also appeared in one game at first base...committed 12 errors
as a third baseman for a .945 fielding percentage...hit in every spot in the order except first, third and fourth...batted .322 in 22 games hitting seventh and .232 in 35 games from the six spot.
2011
With the exception of a two-day stay with Oakland in April, spent the entire season at Triple-A Sacramento...was recalled by the A's April 27 when Kurt Suzuki went on the paternity list...did not appear in a game before being optioned back to Sacramento April 29 when Suzuki returned...batted .261 with 17 home runs and 70 RBI in 115 games with the River Cats...had career-highs in runs (79), stolen bases (13) and strikeouts (100)...tied for third in the A's farm system in runs, tied for fifth in home runs and tied for eighth in extra base hits (45)...finished second on the River Cats in games (115), at-bats (444), runs and hits (116), and tied for second in doubles (28)...hit .172 over his first 25 games, .321 with 12 home runs of his 17 home runs over a 54-game stretch from May 13 to July 24 and .228 over his final 36 contests...batted .266 (84-for-316) against right-handed pitching, compared to .250 (32 for 128) against left-handers...had a .233 average with runners in scoring position...was 3-for-17 (.176) with the
bases loaded...was successful in each of 11 stolen base attempts before the All-Star Break...then went 2-for-6 (33.3%) after the break...appeared in 71 games at catcher and committed 14 errors, which was the most among Pacific Coast League catchers...also led PCL catchers with nine double plays...tossed out 32 of 86 (37.2%) attempted base stealers and has thrown out 65 of 170 (38.2%) in two seasons with the River Cats...also appeared in 27 games at third base, 15 at designated hitter, two at second base, one at first base, one in left field and one in right field....made four errors as a third baseman and two as an outfielder for 20 errors total...had a .239 batting average when catching and .295 at all other positions...singled in his only pinch-hitting appearance...hit in every spot in the order except leadoff...batted .320
with eight of his 17 home runs in 28 games hitting seventh and .189 in 28 games batting fifth...played for Escogido in the Dominican Winter League following the season and hit .286 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 15 games.
SACRAMENTO: Got off to a slow start, going 1-for-25 (.040) over his first seven games...was batting .158 with one home run and six RBI in 15 games when he was promoted April 27...optioned back to Sacramento April 29 and finished April with a .175 batting average...hit safely in a season-high eight consecutive games from May 24 to June 1 (11 for 33, .333)...finished May with 19 RBI in 25 games, his best single-month RBI total in 2011...had his lone two-homer game of the season and drove in a season-high six runs June 15 at Salt Lake City...matched his season high with three hits...hit five home runs over a nine-game span from June 15-26 and finished June with six home runs...was suspended by the PCL for three games, June 30 to July 2, for an intentional throwing incident...matched his season high with an eight-game hitting streak from July 16-24...went 13-for-26 (.500) with 10 runs, five two doubles, two home runs and seven RBI during the hitting streak...scored a run seven consecutive games
from July 18-25 (11 runs total)...hit .321 in July, his best single-month mark in 2011...then hit .196 in August...scored at least one run in seven straight games again from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5 (10 runs total)...finished the regular season with four-straight multiple-hit and multiple-RBI games, going 8-for-20 (.400) with eight RBI...then hit .323 (10 for 31) with seven runs, three doubles, one triple, two home runs, nine RBI and four walks in eight postseason games.
2009
Batted .270 with nine home runs and 91 RBI in 124 games for the Texas League Champion Midland Rock Hounds...added 80 walks for a .379 on-base percentage...ranked second in the Texas League in doubles (37), tied for third in walks and fifth in RBI...was second in the A's farm system in walks, third in doubles, tied for third in RBI, seventh in on-base percentage, eighth in extra base hits (47), ninth in total bases (189) and 10th in hits (123)...was named to the Texas League Midseason All-Star team...hit .288 with four home runs in 132 at bats against left-handed pitching and .263 with five home runs in 323 at bats against right-handers...his average improved to .340 with runners in scoring position and five of his nine home runs came with runners on base...appeared in 102 games at catcher, 15 at third base and four at first base...led TL catchers in total chances (741), assists (80), errors (16) and passed balls (17) and tied for the lead in games caught...tossed out 38 of 96 (39.6%) attempted base stealers, which was second best in the TL...hit in every spot in the order from second through seventh but saw his most action with 93 games in the six spot.
2008
Began the season at Single-A Peoria in the Chicago Cubs organization but was traded to Oakland July 8 in the Rich Harden deal and finished the year at Single-A Stockton...hit .217 with six home runs and 23 RBI in 63 games at Peoria but then went on to bat .330 with nine home runs and 39 RBI in 47 games with Stockton...combined for a .267 batting average, 15 home runs and 62 RBI in 110 games overall...batted .297 against left-handed pitching and .258 against right-handers...hit .197 with runners in scoring position at Peoria and .355 at Stockton...was 5 for 9 (.556) with a grand slam and 12 RBI with the bases loaded...appeared in 94 games at catcher and tossed out 41 of 112 (36.6%) attempted base stealers...also appeared in three games at third base and two at first base, all with Stockton...hit in every spot in the order except first and ninth...with Peoria, he batted .286 against left-handed pitching and .202
against right-handers...stole two bases April 9 against Beloit...hit .191 in April and .203 in May and his batting average was under .200 as late as June 5 (.198)...then went 18 for 68 (.265) over his final 18 games with Peoria...was traded with pitcher Sean Gallagher, infielder Eric Patterson and outfielder Matt Murton to the Oakland A's for pitchers Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin, July 8...was assigned to Single-A Stockton...hit .341 against right-handed pitching and .305 against left-handers with the Ports...reached base safely via hit or walk in each of his first 34 games at Stockton...hit .374 with 15 walks (.446 on base percentage) over that stretch from July 10 to Aug. 17...reached safely in 43 of 47 games overall with the Ports...had a grand slam July 13 against San Jose...had a season best seven-game hitting streak from July 25 to Aug. 2...hit .452 (14 for 31) with 11 runs scored, three doubles, two home runs and 13 RBI during the streak...had back-to-back games with three hits and four RBI July 29 and 30 at Modesto...had his Stockton batting average at .409 in 24 games through Aug. 7 but then hit .253 over his
final 23 games...rebounded to hit .413 (19 for 46) with four doubles, a triple, four home runs, eight RBI, nine runs scored and 10 walks (.518 on-base percentage) in 12 postseason games to lead Stockton to the California League Championship...then played for Arizona Fall League Champion Phoenix Desert Dogs and batted .288 with four home runs and 21 RBI in 29 games...appeared exclusively at first base on defense (27 games)...went 3 for 5 with a home run and four RBI in the AFL Championship Game.
2007
Made his professional debut and combined to bat .335 in 53 games for the Cubs affiliate in
the Arizona Rookie League and Single-A Boise...named a Short-Season All-Star by Baseball America after ranking third among all Short-Season leagues in on-base percentage (.460) and ninth in slugging percentage (.590)...led the Northwest League in on-base percentage (.470)...topped NL catchers with a .990 fielding percentage and tied for the lead with five double plays...tossed out 23 of 58 (39.7%) attempted base stealers, which ranked second best in the league...began his professional career in the Arizona Rookie League and was 2 for 11 (.182) in four games before he was transferred to Boise July 2...hit .346 with nine home runs and 35 RBI in 49 games with the Hawks...finished second on the club in home runs and tied for second in walks (37)...batted .452 against left-handed pitching and .321 against right-handers...hit .358 with runners in scoring position....was named the seventh best Cubs prospect by Baseball America following the season.
2010
Made his Major League debut in 2010, batting .156 with a home run and four RBI in 14 games over two stints with Oakland...hit .250 (5 for 20) against left-handed pitching, went 0-for-12 against righthanders...hit .143 with the bases empty and .250 with runners in scoring position...appeared in seven games, including five starts, at catcher and two games, one start, at first base...also started three games at designated hitter and was 1 for 4 (.250) with an RBI as a pinch hitter...tossed out 2 of 6 (33.3%) attempted base stealers...was selected from Triple-A Sacramento April 30 and made his ML debut that night at Toronto, striking out as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning...started at catcher the next day, hitting a two-run home run off Dana Eveland in the fourth inning May 1 at Toronto for his first big league hit...then went 0 for his next 17 before singling in the fourth inning May 13 at Texas...had his first career multiple-hit game May 14 at Los Angeles...was batting .154 with a home run and three RBI in 10 games, seven starts (five at catcher, two at designated hitter) when he was optioned back to Sacramento
May 16...returned to Oakland following the conclusion of the River Cats' season Sept. 14 and went 1 for 6 (.167) with a RBI in four games, including one start each at designated hitter and first base.
SACRAMENTO: Spent the balance of the season at Sacramento where he batted .238 with 18 home runs and 67 RBI in 86 games in his Triple-A debut...the home runs were a career-high but the batting average was a career low...hit .239 (51 for 213) against right-handed pitching, .235 (19 for 81) against left-handers...had a .187 batting average with the bases empty and hit .292 with 12 of his 18 home runs with runners on base...batted .206 at home and .268 with 12 of his 18 home runs on the road...appeared in 64 games at catcher, eight at third base, three at first base and one in left field...tossed out 33 of 84 (39.3%) attempted base stealers...hit in every spot in the order except first and ninth, seeing his most action with 27 games in the seven spot...also hit .272 in 24 games batting third...hit eight of his 18 home runs in the seventh inning or later...had his first of two two-homer games and his first of five four-RBI contests April 23 against Portland...had a season-high four hits, including two doubles, and drove in four runs April 27 at Las Vegas...that was his final Triple-A contest before he was called up by Oakland April 30...was batting .269 with five doubles, four home runs and 19 RBI in 18 games at the
time of his promotion...hit .333 with two home runs and 11 RBI over his first 12 games following his May 16 option...that gave him a .296 average, six home runs and 30 RBI in 30 games through the end of May...then hit a combined .193 with 12 home runs and 37 RBI in 54 games from June 1 through Aug. 3...had his second two-homer game and drove in four runs July 6 at Reno...was named to the Pacific Coast League Midseason All-Star Team at catcher...struck out in his only at-bat against the International League All-Stars, July 14...had a grand slam, July 20 against Colorado Springs...snapped a 0-for-23 streak with a fourth-inning home run, July 30 against Colorado Springs...was on the disabled list from Aug. 4 to Sept. 2 with a sprained right knee...went 3 for 8 (.375) with a pair of doubles over his final two regular season games, then went 0-for-11 with a RBI in three postseason games.
