Watch Josh Donaldson transform from baseball player to Viking

The big day is almost here for Toronto Blue Jays star Josh Donaldson. And no, we're not talking about the opening of spring training or anything pertaining to baseball. We're actually talking about his small screen debut.

The reigning and defending AL MVP will make a cameo appearance on the History Channel's hit show 'Vikings,' alongside series regulars Travis Fimmel and Clive Standen. The show will first air Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. ET.

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This means we'll finally get to see Donaldson in action wearing his full VIking regalia.

Donaldson has been teasing his appearance for a few months now, even posting photos of his new Vikinged up look on social media. In all honestly, the look isn't much of a departure from his regular appearance, but a full makeup session and a slightly new hairstyle was required to complete the transformation.

Now we get to see how that transformation took place.

On Wednesday, the History Channel released footage of Donaldson going from MVP baseball player to a battle-tested Viking, and the process itself is pretty fascinating.

It takes more effort than you think to perfect the Viking look, but like any good actor, Donaldson is committed to getting it just right.

They even added in the skull tattoos, which provide instant credibility. And then there's the fur robe, because no Viking ensemble is complete without it.

Donaldson wears it quite well too, and seems like a natural fit in this role. We're confident he'll step right up and knock his appearance out of the park. But part of us is also hoping Donaldson will bring more of the Viking style into his baseball game. Maybe he could even wear a fur robe during batting practice, or dramatically shed it on his way to the plate.

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As if facing Donaldson isn't intimidating enough, that would add to his mystique, would it not?

None of that will happen, of course, but it's fun thought nonetheless. We'd happily settle for a Donaldson the Viking bobblehead though. So if the Blue Jays could make that happen, we'd be ecstatic.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813