John McDonald was a 12th round pick out of Providence in 1996, so making the big leagues was a long shot for him from the get-go. On the strength of his excellent defence, he beat the odds and got his first taste of the Show in 1999 with Cleveland. Since then he’s been up and down between the minors and the majors, been a backup infielder, been non-tendered, been traded for himself. With over 5 years of Major League service time, he’s earning relative chump change – half a million dollars. And last night, he did something he’s probably dreamed of since Little League: he hit a grand slam.
