The best baseball players aren’t always our favorite players. Mike Trout is a nice guy but also rather boring, most interested in the Bay Area micrco-climates and less so in being the face of baseball. Bryce Harper has nice hair but limited appeal otherwise.
Among our A’s, this rings even more true. Josh Donaldson was always the best player on the teams of the 2012-2014, but for few was he the ultimate favorite. That’s not knock on Donaldson, who was beloved by the fanbase and a generally awesome Athletic. He just didn’t charm quite like other worse players did.