Fantasy Baseball: 10 Hitters Who Could Bounce Back in 2019
Josh Donaldson, 3B, Atlanta Braves
ADP: 99
Depth Charts: 560 PA, 78 R, 26 HR, 75 RBI, 4 SB, .257 AVG
THE BAT: 564 PA, 81 R, 29 HR, 81 RBI, 5 SB, .262 AVG
Josh Donaldson is coming off his second straight injury-marred campaign, but it was especially problematic this time around, with calf and shoulder ailments holding him to just 52 games and 219 plate appearances. A calf issue is also what limited him to 113 games and 496 plate appearances in 2017. With Donaldson now entering his age-33 season, it's impossible not to be a bit worried about his ability to stay on the field moving forward.
But the good news is when he is healthy, Donaldson has generally shown he can still be quite productive. In 2017, Donaldson still slugged 33 home runs with a .289 ISO, and he posted a wOBA of at least .395 for the third straight season.
Although the season marks took a noticeable dip last year, once he was healthy following a trade to Cleveland, Donaldson sure looked like that same guy in September, posting a .396 wOBA, .240 ISO, and 50.0% hard-hit rate over 16 games. It's a small sample size but promising nonetheless.
However, his batting average has declined in each of the past two seasons, which appears directly related to a rising strikeout rate (24.7% in 2018), so he's unlikely to be a strong asset in batting average. Still, he did post only a 16.7% strikeout rate during that strong September stretch last fall, so it wouldn't be surprising if he can come closer to his 2017 mark (22.4%) and put up a batting average that won't ding you too much.
Depth Charts and THE BAT project Donaldson for a modest 130 and 133 games, respectively, which is a good baseline to stick with given his age and recent history, knowing that there's upside for more if he stays healthy. THE BAT is the more optimistic of the two, granting Donaldson a .372 wOBA and .242 ISO.
And even with those missed games factored in, both projection systems give him solid across-the-board numbers, suggesting he should remain effective at the plate. Now a member of the Braves, Donaldson is expected to bat second for his new team, so he should have plenty of opportunities to rack up counting stats.
It wasn't that long ago Donaldson was a first-round pick, and now he's barely going inside the top 100.
