Donaldson has the slight edge to win AL MVP

George Bell is the only Toronto Blue Jays player to ever win the American League MVP, capturing the award in 1987 after a stellar season where he hit .308 with 47 home runs and 134 RBIs.

Josh Donaldson can end that long drought tonight.

The third baseman had one of the greatest seasons in Blue Jays’ history in 2015, helping lead the club to its first AL East title since 1993. Donaldson is the favourite to win the award, but he is not a lock. Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels and Lorenzo Cain of the World Series champion Kansas City Royals also turned heads with their play this season.

Bold = AL Leader

The Case For Donaldson

Blue Jays fans were thrilled when former general manager Alex Anthopoulos traded enigmatic Canadian Brett Lawrie, along with three prospects, to the Oakland Athletics for Donaldson last winter. The 29-year-old put up career numbers in his first season for the Jays, cementing himself as an elite player and one of the best third basemen in the game.

Donaldson was comfortable batting second in Toronto's powerful batting order right from the start of the season. He found success early in games, tying Angels' first baseman Albert Pujols for most first-inning homers with 13. He also led the American League in home runs hit (22) with the score tied.      

A force at the plate, Donaldson also made a difference in the field. His glove and arm were a boost to the Jays’ infield defence. Donaldson made numerous key plays from the hot corner all season long, including a leap into the stands at Tropicana Field to snag a foul play that was one of the most memorable MLB highlights of the year.

Toronto baseball fans fell in love with the gritty native of Pensacola, Fla., right away. By the time the summer rolled around, "MVP" chants could regularly be heard at the Rogers Centre for the self-proclaimed “Bringer of Rain."

“He’s the MVP for me and I’m very delighted for him to join the club,” Bell told the Toronto Star. “We’re going to have two now in Toronto!”

The Case For Trout

The defending AL MVP had another strong season in 2015.

The Angels’ centre fielder had more homers and walks, plus a higher batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and on-base plus slugging percentage this season compared to last year all while committing no errors in the outfield over 159 games.

If there was one player you could take to build a MLB franchise around, most would probably take the 24-year-old superstar. 

The native of Vineland, N.J. was magnificent again in his fifth season, but when it comes to winning a second straight MVP, his team's performance might be an Achilles’ heel. Los Angeles (85-77) finished one game out of the second Wild Card spot and missed the playoffs.

Trout struggled in August as the Angels went 10-19 in the month and fell out of first place in the AL West. In 29 games he hit .218 with one homer and seven RBIs.

Trout won the Rookie of the Year in 2012 and finished second behind Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera in both 2012 and 2013 for the MVP before finally winning in 2014. He has the numbers, but maybe not the team wins, for another MVP award. 

The Case For Cain

Lorenzo Cain is a long shot to win the AL MVP, but the 29-year-old outfielder was an integral part of a strong Royals team in a season where he produced major increases in home runs, RBIs and his slash line.

He also stole 28 bases and played elite-level defence in centre field.

Blue Jays fans will always remember him as the guy who scored the eventual game-winning run from first base in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series to eliminate Toronto.

His numbers are not on the same level as Donaldson or Trout, but Cain is still one of the most well-rounded players in MLB.     

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