Tale Of Two Seasons

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Josh Donaldson's trade to Oakland revitalized his fortunes

By Casey Tefertiller
December 22, 2008

OAKLAND—If you just look at the numbers, catcher Josh Donaldson's 2008 season seems pretty hard to comprehend.

He started the year as Cubs' property, in low Class A Peoria, where he batted .217/.276/.349 with six homers in 63 games. Then came his July 8 trade to the Athletics as part of the Rich Harden deal, and with it an assignment to high Class A Stockton, the eventual California League champs. He responded by hitting .330/.391/.564 with nine homers in his last 47 games.

"I never really felt the entire year that my numbers reflected the way I was swinging at the plate," Donaldson said, adding that the line drives simply did not fall in Peoria.

"When I went to the A's, I instantly clicked with (hitting coach) Timmy Garland," he Donaldson said. "The only thing we did a little different was pull my hands in a little bit closer to my body. My hands had gotten too far out, which caused me to get jammed a little bit more.

And the A's were paying attention. After the season, the 23-year-old headed to the Arizona Fall League, where he played first base and batted .288/.315/.452 with four homers and 21 RBIs in 29 games.

Donaldson grew up in Pensacola, Fla., before his family moved to Mobile, Ala., to begin his junior year in high school. He played mostly shortstop through high school, then played short and third his freshman year at Auburn. For his sophomore year, the Tigers turned to Donaldson in order to fill a much-needed void.

"I was kind of playing around at catching, and the coaches brought me in and asked me if I wanted to catch a little," he said.

Two seasons later, the Cubs made him a supplemental first-round pick in the 2007 draft. The A's like that he has versatility, with the infield experience.

"I really love catching," he said. "Catching's not a position where you can focus just on yourself—you have to be like servant. You've got to do what you have to do to make other people happy: the pitchers, the coaches. It's about getting other people ready for the game while I'm getting ready for the game."

A's ACORNS

• Oakland used its major league Rule 5 pick on 25-year-old Giants outfielder Ben Copeland, who batted .277/.351/.413 with 24 stolen bases and 13 triples last season. His speed fits with an organization that has been acquiring more athletic players of late, and he could serve as injury insurance. The A's did not lose any players in the draft.

• The A's signed former Giants prospect Jerome Williams to a minor league deal. The 25-year-old righthander appeared in 13 games in the Dodgers system in 2008.