NewsAscending A's: Donaldson waits his turn
Backstop prospect building reputation with bat and glove
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com
11/04/09 4:00 PM EST
"Ascending A's" is a regular offseason feature in which Oakland director of player development Keith Lieppman and director of player personnel Billy Owens will provide analysis on various top prospects in the organization. Today, Owens offers insight on catcher Josh Donaldson, who is coming off a strong season at Double-A Midland.OAKLAND -- Acquired from the Cubs in a six-player deal that sent A's right-hander Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin to Chicago in July of 2008, catcher Josh Donaldson showed enough promise in 47 games at Class A Stockton after the trade to earn an invitation to big league Spring Training this year.
He played in only eight games in the Cactus League, mostly as a late-game substitution, but in collecting four hits -- including a double, a triple and a home run -- in 11 at-bats he drew the attention of the man he might someday replace.
"He could swing it a little bit," said Kurt Suzuki, who has been Oakland's starting catcher since Jason Kendall was traded to the Cubs in July 2007. "I didn't see a lot of him as a catcher, but [I could see that] he's athletic and he works hard."
Suzuki, who turned 26 in early October and led the A's with 88 RBIs while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense this season, won't likely be looking over his shoulder at Donaldson any time soon.
Donaldson, who turns 24 in early December, hasn't yet reached Triple-A ball, and ahead of him on the organizational depth chart behind the plate is Landon Powell, who served as Suzuki's backup in 2009 and played well in limited duty.
Asked if there might be a time when the club has to make some tough decisions regarding its trio of talented catchers, Owens said, "That's what the Hot Stove [league] is for."
"We have a very good catcher in the Major Leagues right now," he continued, "and Powell is a bona-fide backup with a chance, if he stays healthy, to be an everyday guy. ... But the sky's the limit for Josh. He's got a very good all-around package."
A "sandwich pick" of the Cubs following the first round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, Donaldson didn't start catching until his sophomore season at Auburn University. In fact, he was named the third baseman on the NCAA's All-Region Tournament Team as a freshman in 2005.
Four years later, he's what Owens called "an outstanding defensive catcher."
After making the transition to catcher in 2006, Donaldson started to turn heads in earnest in the prestigious Cape Cod League before his junior year, and he was certainly on Oakland's radar heading into the 2007 Draft.
Owens said A's director of scouting Eric Kubota "loved" Donaldson, who led Auburn with a .349 batting average and 54 RBIs as a junior.
The Cubs snapped Donaldson up before Oakland got a chance, so the A's jumped at the chance to have him included in the package they got in exchange for Harden and Gaudin.
Having batted .217 with Class A Peoria of the pitcher-friendly Midwest League over 63 games in the Chicago organization before the trade, Donaldson made some adjustments to his approach under the guidance of A's Minor League roving hitting instructor Greg Sparks and Lieppman upon being assigned to Class A Advanced Stockton of the California League.
He batted .330 with nine home runs, 39 RBIs, a .391 on-base percentage and a .955 OPS in 47 games.
"He was outstanding in the Cal League," Owens said. "Torrid, really."
Donaldson, a right-handed hitter listed at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, made a seamless transition to Double-A Midland of the tough Texas League. He made the All-Star team on the way to batting .270 with nine homers, 37 doubles, 91 RBIs, a .379 OBP and .795 OPS in 124 games, and he batted .340 with runners in scoring position.
But it wasn't just what Donaldson did with the bat that so impressed the A's. He handled pitchers well, controlled opponents' running games and displayed the type of intangibles for which Suzuki is lauded at the big league level.
"He's a high-everyday guy, a vocal guy, a leader, and a hard worker," Owens said. "He has a well-rounded game."
Owens suggested that Donaldson is a virtual lock to be back in big league camp this spring, and with Suzuki and Powell entrenched in Oakland, a season at Triple-A Sacramento is likely the next developmental step.
"That's probably the plan, but in this game, you never know," Owens said. "What we do know is that Josh has done a nice job climbing the ladder so far, and he has a chance to be an outstanding player."
Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
