Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson continues to reap awards for his 2015 season. On Monday night at the Players Choice Awards, Donaldson received the 2015 Player of the Year Award and the American League Outstanding Player Award.
Donaldson was a baseball and football star at Faith Academy in Mobile and played baseball at Auburn.
The Players Choice Awards are presented by the Major League Baseball Players Trust, the charitable foundation of MLB players, and Donaldson’s awards came with $70,000 that he will distribute to charitable organizations.
In the 2015 season, Donaldson hit .297 in 158 games. He had 122 runs, 184 hits, 41 doubles, two triples, 41 home runs, 123 RBIs, six stolen bases, 352 total bases, 10 sacrifice flies, a .371 on-base average and a .568 slugging percentage.
Donaldson led the American League in runs, RBIs, total bases and sacrifice flies and led the big leagues with 20 game-winning RBIs while helping the Blue Jays win the AL East pennant.
Since the regular season ended, he’s won The Sporting News Major League Baseball Player of the Year Award and the Hank Aaron Award as the best hitter in the American League.
Donaldson won the Players Choice Player of the Year Award over Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke and Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper. The other finalists for the AL Outstanding Player Award were Seattle Mariners outfielder Nelson Cruz and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout.
The biggest award still could be ahead of Donaldson. The Baseball Writers Association of America will reveal on Tuesday the finalists for its awards, including the American League Most Valuable Player Award, which will be announced on Nov. 19. Donaldson finished fourth in 2013 and eighth in 2014 in the AL MVP voting.
Chicago White Sox closer David Robertson, a former standout at Paul W. Bryant High School and Alabama, was a finalist for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award at the Players Choice Awards. Robertson and his wife, Erin, founded High Socks for Hope after tornadoes devastated Tuscaloosa in 2011. The foundation strives to provide support to those affected by tragedies.
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones won the award. Miami Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon also was a finalist for the honor.
The other league award winners on Monday night included:
American League: Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros, Outstanding Pitcher; Carlos Correa, Astros, Outstanding Rookie; Prince Fielder, Texas Rangers, Comeback Player.
National League: Harper, Outstanding Player; Greinke, Outstanding Pitcher; Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs, Outstanding Rookie; Matt Harvey, New York Mets, Comeback Player.
Voting for the 2015 Players Choice Awards was conducted in Major League clubhouses on Sept. 16.
