Even though Josh Donaldson has been a Most Valuable Player candidate the last couple of years, he was still one of baseball’s most underrated and underappreciated players with the Oakland A’s. But becoming the second MVP in Toronto Blue Jays history in his first year with the club has not only catapulted him past the glass ceiling, but also raised his profile while playing for an entire country in meaningful games down the stretch.

The latest example of his ascending fame is something we see often in basketball but rarely in baseball: His own custom cleat. Donaldson, who is a Nike athlete, has steadily climbed the marketing hierarchy and is now among the likes of last year’s American League MVP Mike Trout as one of the faces of the brand’s baseball line and one of the most marketable players in the sport.



Nike

With Donaldson winning the MVP award Thursday night, Nike hand-delivered a special custom pair of cleats to him as congratulations.

The gift was a customized version of the Huarache 2K Filth, a shoe he’s worn since this year’s all-star game. Donaldson’s stats are engraved on the shoe and the colourway takes inspiration from the MVP award itself. The shoes and custom box were delivered exclusively to the third baseman.

Donaldson, who was also voted the top major leaguer and the AL’s outstanding player at the Players Choice Awards, is starting to get the mainstream recognition that’s been overdue for the grinder who plied his trade on the West Coast. A week shy of a year ago fringe fans were wondering about the man who was replacing Canada’s beloved son Brett Lawrie after the Alex Anthopoulos blockbuster deal with Oakland. But during the season — from his rambunctious playing style to trademark hipster haircut to throwing up ‘the 6’ home run celebration — Donaldson has gone from underappreciated to arguably the most marketable athlete in Canada.

From pitch masher to pitch man, with a flashy new pair of cleats to boot, Donaldson won’t sneak up on anyone in 2016. Nike just made sure of that.