For a while, it seemed possibleunjust, but possiblethat Josh Donaldson wouldn't even start the All-Star Game.Now, after the final tallies for both the National League and American League were announcedSunday, not only is Donaldson a starterbut he's the all-time leading vote-getter.On June 15, Donaldson trailed the Kansas City Royals' Mike Moustakas by more than 1.6 million votes. He closed the gap in the ensuing weeks and wound up with 14.09 million votes, topping Washington Nationals slugger Bryce Harper, who led the NL with 13.86 million.Both Harper and Donaldson eclipsed the previous vote record of 11.07 million set by Josh Hamilton in 2012.Donaldson becomes the first Toronto Blue Jays third baseman to win the fan election, per MLB.com. More than that, he's solidified his status as one of the game's elite talents.Sure, we knew Donaldson was good. His 7.42 WAR was the third highest in MLB last season, behind only NL MVP Clayton Kershaw and AL MVP Mike Trout, per ESPN.com.For whatever reason, though, Donaldson has remained on the fringes of the superstar conversation. He was an All-Star in 2014, but he finished eighth in AL MVP voting.The competition for the prize figures to be thick again, and there's a lot of baseball left. Right now, though, the list of guys playing better than Donaldson is short, if it exists.Toronto skipper John Gibbons didn't mince words in his assessment of his shiny new tool, per Robert MacLeod of the Globe and Mail:First off, he's one of the top players in the game. That's a given. You guys see that every day. He's got a different kind of personality, a different kind of mentality. I've said before many times that we needed it on this ball club. Hes a guy that keeps pushing, pushing. Never takes an inning off.Donaldson, MacLeod opined, is "the most important acquisition Alex Anthopoulos has made during his six-year tenure as general manager." It's hard to argue with that.Since arriving north of the border in an offseason swap with the perpetually retooling Oakland Athletics, Donaldson has posted a .296/.352/.527 slash line with 19 home runs, 56 RBI and reliably stellar glove work at the hot corner.Speaking of which, let's pause for a moment to recall the play Donaldson made June 24, diving headlong into the stands and reeling in what Deadspin's Tom Ley correctly dubbed "the catch of the year."Oh, what the heck, just watch it:Donaldson's value runs a lot deeper than one jaw-dropping, Superman-esque play. But it's a piece of the puzzle. Put it together with his power and plate discipline, and you have a guy who, at the age of 29, could legitimately be blossoming into the best all-around player in a league full of budding studs.He has helped propel Toronto's potent offense, and while the Jays are just two games over .500 at 43-41 thanks (or no thanks) to their lackluster pitching, they're also just two games back in the wide-open AL East.Tip your cap to the voters for pushing Donaldson into the starting lineup at Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park. No offense to Moustakas, but leaving Donaldson to swallow a reserve slot would have been an unforgivableone might say royalinjustice.For his part, Donaldson accepted the honor with humility, so add that to his list of enviable attributes."It's a big honor to represent this team," Donaldson said, per Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star. "Honestly I could never tell you I would ever expect this. I'm kind of mind-blown a little bit."We know how you feel, Josh. We know how you feel.All statistics current as of July 5 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.
Click here to read full news..
