New York Yankees under-fire baseman Josh Donaldson silenced the critics by hitting two powerful home runs on Tuesday.
Josh Donaldson, a veteran baseman who won the American League MVP award in 2015, has a career batting average of .265 with 266 home runs and 790 RBIs. He’s also won two Silver Slugger awards and featured thrice in the All-Star team. However, the baseman has been in a bit of a slump since his arrival in the Bronx last season.
The New York Yankees acquired Josh Donaldson from Minnesota Twins ahead of the last season in a trade package. However, he failed to translate his form and registered his worst career figures in the pinstripes. Further, the baseman has come under scrutiny for excessive contract value. Regardless, Josh has found a way to silence the critics in a recent spring training outing.
Josh Donaldson Hits Two Homers Against The Tigers
Meanwhile, Josh Donaldson came in this season with a lot of intent and positive vibes. He was determined enough to make a difference this year and silence the critics with his game. The 37-year-old took the first steps in that pursuit by making changes in his stance. According to Yankees skipper Aaron Boone, Josh tweaked his stance marginally to simply his bat swing process, eventually leading to better ball connection. After doing multiple reps in the live sessions, Josh finally put it to the test on Tuesday and generated fruitful results.
On Tuesday facing the Detroit Tigers, Josh Donaldson hit two powerful home runs. The first one came off Spencer Turnbull, who threw a 94 mph sinker in the fourth innings. Further, Will Vest bowled a 95 mph fastball in the sixth innings, which Josh swung away for his second home run of the matchup. On the other hand, speaking on his preparations, Josh said he came into the spring training with an open mind to correct his mistakes right from day one. He executed all alterations he deemed necessary and received good results. However, there are still miles to go for Josh, as this is his first substantial performance in spring.
Aaron Boone Lauds Donaldson’s New Approach
New York Yankees skipper Aaron Boone applauded Josh Donaldson for working on his limitation. When Boone first saw his change in stance, he immediately endured to let Josh know that its the right thing to do. Further, Aaron backed Josh, saying that being a former MVP, the baseman has never had a rough patch like last year ever before. Hence, it took him some time to come to terms with it.
“He’s (Josh Donaldson) still got the tools to be a really good hitter,” said Aaron Boone.
However, Boone believes Josh Donaldson is a match-winner and is in the team because he still has that spark and power to be a good hitter. Hence, this year, the Bronx Bombers have set high expectations for him. Meanwhile, the Yankee fans who questioned Josh’s entire existence in MLB can finally breathe a sigh of relief and also cut the baseman some slack for once.
