Josh Donaldson joins Auburn’s Wall of Fame

AUBURN | Josh Donaldson’s name and jersey is now adorning the left field wall at Plainsman Park as he joins four other Auburn legends on the Wall of Fame. Donaldson, who was the 2015 American League MVP, joins Bo Jackson, Gregg Olson, Frank Thomas and Tim Hudson on the Wall of Fame. “It’s kind of hard to put into words, really,” said Donadlson. “It really brings it back full circle to the evolution of my career and how it transpired throughout and how I was able to kind of have success throughout my career. And it started here. And this was the beginning of that journey of finding and discovering what type of player that I thought I was and who I was going to become. “To see by name and my jersey going up next to those guys, it means a lot because that’s who the guys I looked up to. So it’s definitely an honor.” During his three-year Auburn career from 2005-07, Donaldson batted .307 with 42 doubles, 28 home runs and 122 RBI in 158 games. Current head coach Butch Thompson was an assistant at Auburn during Donaldson’s college career. “When you see these guys that are kind of that alpha mindset, you can kind of see it when they’re young,” said Thompson. “Like, ‘This dude, he’s not scared of anybody or anything.’ That’s something that he possesses to this day. He don’t care what anybody thinks.” GIVING BACK Auburn’s 7,100-square foot Josh Donaldson Hitting Lab was completed in 2021 after a major contribution from Donaldson. “I’m proud from the young man that I knew to the grown man that I know now,” said Thompson. “How he’s given back to us and poured into our players and our program. That’s evident by him coming back again this weekend.Get the On3 Top 10 Newsletter in your inbox every morningBy clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein. “I really hope him and his family enjoy this weekend. I know Josh lived it, but for his family, they didn’t, and I hope they absolutely see and feel the same connection that we all have for Auburn, that they see that this weekend through this recognition.” Donaldson was drafted by the Chicago Cubs with the 48th overall pick in 2007 and played 13 years in the majors with the Oakland A’s, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Twins, N.Y. Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers. He was a three-time MLB All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, and won the Hank Aaron Award in 2015 and the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2019. “I think that’s the biggest thing for me is having the family here, and I got a bunch of friends that came up for the game as well,” said Donaldson. “I’ve seen some former teammates that are that are still here. Talking about, memories, I had a lot of people reach out to me that I played with to congratulate me. It’s a full circle moment coming here over 20 years now. Now, my have jersey’s getting put up on the wall. “It means a lot to my family and means a lot to me. There was a lot of hard work that went into it. So it’s a little surreal at the same time. But we’re gonna enjoy this tonight.” Donaldson and his wife, Briana, have two children.