Through 10 games, the Athletics' Josh Donaldson is hitting .231 with a .627 OPS. Not so impressive, but what did you expect from a guy who hit .241 with a .687 OPS last year?
But it's never that simple, is it? The truth is we saw two Donaldsons last year: one who hit .153 with a .395 OPS over his first 28 games and one who hit .290 with an .844 OPS over his final 47, after a couple trips back to the minors.
In a tale-of-two-seasons situation, I tend to trust the one we saw last, particularly if it's the larger sample, so you can bet I'm watching to see where Donaldson's three straight two-hit games lead.
Hey, with Chase Headley, Aramis Ramirez, Hanley Ramirez and Brett Lawrie hurt, and Mike Moustakas and Lonnie Chisenhall not meeting expecations, third base is a position of need right now.