The Bringer of Rain makes the Bomba Squad even more dangerous
As mentioned in the introduction, Donaldson’s offensive ability is what made several teams fall over themselves to sign him this offseason. Outside of a 2018 season which was marred by injury, Donaldson has been one of the more consistent power hitters in the league, slugging 33 or more home runs in three of the past four seasons.
While he probably isn’t going to match his absurd 2015 line (.297, 41 HR, 123 RBI) that netted the American League MVP award, he will bring a bat that ranked in the upper echelon of exit velocity (98th percentile according to Baseball Savant) and hard-hit percentage (97th percentile).
What’s even more impressive is that Donaldson’s power comes with quite a bit of patience, as he’s ranked within the top 20 of walks in every full major league season outside of his 2018 disaster. While he also is prone to strikeouts (155 K in 549 AB last season), he should fit right in with the feast or famine approach that the Bomba Squad had in 2019.
Slotting Donaldson’s bat in the middle of the Twins lineup also gives pitchers less options to pitch around as The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman noted that the entire starting lineup boasts an OPS above the MLB average of .758.
Twins' starting nine and their OPS last year:
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) January 15, 2020
1.031 Nelson Cruz
.995 Mitch Garver
.923 Miguel Sano
.900 Josh Donaldson
.855 Max Kepler
.841 Jorge Polanco
.838 Luis Arraez
.827 Byron Buxton
.800 Eddie Rosario
.758 *MLB AVERAGE*
This lineup is bonkers now. https://t.co/GPbYsyljqK
With nowhere to hide, Donaldson’s arrival arguably gives the Twins the best lineup in baseball regardless if they switch to the old baseballs in 2020.