Josh Donaldson reported to spring training with plenty of confidence ahead of the 2023 regular season. After a 2022 campaign well below his standards, he believes he still has plenty of good baseball left to offer the New York Yankees.
“If I felt like I didn't have anything left to offer the game, I wouldn't have reported to camp,” said Donaldson recently to the New York Post. “I feel like I have [something] in the tank or I wouldn't show up. Obviously, I feel like I do. That's why I'm here. And I'm going to give it everything I have.
“I would retire, just for the fact that I’ve had a certain quality of production I’m used to,” Donaldson said. “I don’t want to just play to play. I want to play to win. And I want to play to help our team win. And I want to be a contributing force to that.”
Throughout Donaldson's career, he has been known as an above-average hitter, and the Bronx faithful had similar expectations for him when he arrived in New York before last season. However, Donaldson suffered a rough season in 2022, posting an average of .222 and an OPS of .682. Compared to his career numbers of a .265 average and an OPS of .853, it is safe to assume Donaldson is hoping to bounce back in a big way this season.
Despite the offensive output, Josh Donaldson was stellar defensively last year and could have been worthy of a gold glove nomination. Of course, Donaldson would love to get back to his typical offensive prowess that we saw as recently as his last year before becoming a Yankee in Minnesota. He posted an OPS of .827 in 2021, right around his career mark, and finding that form again would be a welcome sight for both Donaldson and the Yankee faithful who expect big things from him in 2023.
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