Don Mattingly Belongs in Cooperstown!
by Scooter on 01/18/2010 in Yankees Blogs
Don Mattingly (nicknamed “Donnie Baseball” and “The Hit Man“) was the New York Yankees star left-handed first baseman from 1982-1995. Again, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) snubbed him for election to the Hall of Fame. Mattingly’s numbers compare to those of first ballot Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett, who also had an injury shortened career.
Don Mattingly was drafted in the 19th round (490th Overall Pick) of the Free Agent Draft by the New York Yankees on June 5, 1979 and signed by Yankees’ scouts Jax Robertson and Gus Poulos on June 26.
He was the first left-hander to hit above .340 since Lou Gehrig in 1937 and the first New York Yankee to win the batting title since Mickey Mantle in 1956. That’s some pretty good company to have your name next to.
In 1985 Donnie Baseball was awarded the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award. He led the Major Leagues with 145 RBI, 48 doubles, and 15 sacrifice flies. He led the American League with 370 total bases. He had 21 Game Winning RBIs and 86 extra-base hits. He also hit .324 to go along with his 35 home runs! He was the first New York Yankee to lead the American League in RBIs since Roger Maris in 1961!
Career Statistics
1785 Games
7003 At Bats
.307 Batting Average
1007 Runs
2153 Hits
442 Doubles
20 Triples
222 Home Runs
1099 RBI
.471 Slugging %
Playoffs – 5 games, 24 at bats, 3 runs, 10 hits (.417 average), 4 doubles, 1 HR, 6 RBI.
The Awards
1985 MVP
1985 Major League Player of the Year
1993 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
6 All-Star Games
9 Gold Gloves
3 Silver Sluggers
MVP votes in 7 seasons
Ranking in Yankee History
Don ranks second in New York Yankees’ history in doubles (442), fifth in hits (2,153) and at-bats (7,003). Seventh in games (1,785), batting average (.307), home runs (222). And eighth in RBI (1,099) and runs scored (1,007).
If Don Mattingly played one more year, he would have been a part of that 1996 World Series Champion team and would have improved his chances of being a Hall of Famer.
Induct Donnie – http://inductdonnie.com/
Do you think Don Mattingly belongs in the Hall of Fame?
Bill Miller
Jan 18th, 2010
If Mattingly belongs in the HOF, then so do Will Clark and Keith Hernandez. Here’s why:
Each had two 100 Runs Scored seasons.
1) Each of them had four dominant seasons where they received significant MVP votes; Mattingly & Hernandez each won an MVP.
2) Each of them played in five or six All-Star games.
3) Each of them finished their careers with over 2,100 hits.
4) Each of them hit between 425-442 Doubles.
5) None of them were good base-stealers.
6) Each of them won two or three Silver Sluggers.
7) Each of them finished with career Batting Averages within ten points of one another.
9) Mattingly & Hernandez won multiple Gold Gloves; Clark was also considered a fine defensive first baseman.
10) Mattingly & Hernandez had similar career OPS averages.
11) Hernandez & Clark had exactly the same career On-Base %’s.
12) Mattingly & Hernandez had almost exactly the same career OPS+ (127, 128) while Clark’s was 137
13) All three were gifted left-handed line-drive hitters.
In short, there really isn’t all that much difference between the three of them. If Mattingly belong in The Hall, then so do Hernandez and Clark. Personally, I don’t believe that any of the three belong in The Hall, despite the successes they all enjoyed in their respective careers. None of them were dominant long enough to justify their inclusion into the HOF.
Commish
Jan 18th, 2010
Bill,
You have a valid argument and I agree that all three should be elected.