Give some credit where credit is due. Jon Heyman has been beating this drum for weeks leading up to the voting. And 2 days ago, I even threw this on IG.
I mean, give the guy what he deserves. The New York Post writes:
Mattingly spent 15 years on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot, but never received the requisite 75 percent of the vote; the closest he came was in his first year of eligibility in 2001, when he garnered 28.2 percent. Now, he has another chance. He needs at least 12 of 16 votes from the committee, which is made up of seven Hall of Famers, six team executives and three media members.
Mattingly said: “It’s a desire [to be a Hall of Famer]... I think every player, it would be something that if you felt like you knew you’ve done enough. Obviously people look at it as being on the borderline, right? There’s people that voted for you, people that didn’t, different committees put you on and things like that. So obviously you’re one of those guys that’s on the borderline."
Donnie is borderline only because his career was shortened by a back injury, but if you look at the career numbers before his career was shortened, he was stellar and dare I say guys have been getting bigger contracts in today's game and doing far less than Donnie did when his numbers too a slight dip after the back injury got to him. Even Cal Ripken thinks Donnie needs to be there, which by the way, I thought was an incredible quote:
“He’s [Don Mattingly] the guy they penciled in hitting 4th in the lineup of All-Stars. . . Great defensive player, difference maker. . . A great clutch hitter. . . And I think he’s a Hall-of-Famer.” - Cal Ripken Jr.
We're talking about a guy that is beloved in the game, not just the New York fan base. Think about this; Cal is loved in this game, talking about another guy that was a true competitor but also beloved.
Look, as far as I'm concerned, it's time for Donnie. The voters need to do the right thing today. Let's hope they do.
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