We all know what the Bringer of Rain brought to the Atlanta Braves last season. He brought leadership, home runs, walks, defense, and enthusiasm. Let’s take a look at the man behind the umbrella.
Josh Donaldson was worth 6.1 rWAR in 2019 with the Atlanta Braves. Outside of the 37 homers, 94 RBI, .379 OBP, and .521 SLG, what is he like behind the scenes?
Without actually being in the clubhouse, it’s hard to ascertain. We know the Atlanta Braves like him enough to want to bring him back.
As reported by Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on October 10th, Alex Anthopoulos had this to say:
"“He’s a key part of our team,” general manager Alex Anthopoulos, who previously acquired Donaldson for the Blue Jays, said. “Great player, complete player. Things we look for. Great offensive player, on-base skills, great defender, intense competitor, toughness. Fits us in every way we want to."
It’s important to remember that Anthopoulos was also the General Manager in Toronto during Donaldson’s time with the Blue Jays. It’s a good sign for who Donaldson is in the clubhouse that Anthopoulos is so interested in making him the highest-paid player on the Braves for at least the second year in a row.
Here’s what Brian Snitker said about Josh Donaldson:
He would love to have Donaldson back. He’s had him before and said,
"“He’s one of those guys that you kind of grow attached to.”"
And grow attached to him, we have.
If word breaks that Donaldson has signed with the Nationals then it will be one last “bringing of rain” but this time the rain will be sad. It will be accompanied by melancholy music and probably tears. Things will only get worse when I pull my umbrella out to keep me dry. I don’t want to imagine any more.
Fans love Donaldson. So I did a little “Googling” in an attempt to find reasons why his teammates seem to love him so much too. This will give us more of a reason to love the Bringer of Rain or more of a reason for us to hurt when he signs with another team.
Again, since we can’t go hand out in the clubhouse then we only know what we read. Let’s take a look peek at what Donaldson is like behind the scenes. Proceed to the next slide.