THE YANKEES MOUNT OLYMPUS: DON MATTINGLY

With Bernie Williams now safely inside our Yankees Mount Olympus (Read HERE), it is time to provide him with company in our house of pinstripe “Gods”. 

At number 11 is one of my personal all-time favorites.  Like Williams, this player is beloved by Yankees fans, and to this day you will find men and women of all ages wearing his jersey at home games.

Don Mattingly

“Donnie Baseball” forever endeared himself to the Yankees’ empire with clutch play, both while in the field and at the plate.  

His resume as a player is impressive:

·         He is tied with Dale Long and Ken Griffey Jr. with the most consecutive games with a home run – 8.  During that streak (July 8^th through July 18^th, 1987) Mattingly hit 10 home runs (Long and Griffey hit 8 during their streaks).

·         He was a six-time All-Star

·         He has nine Gold Gloves and three Silver Slugger awards

·         He won the MVP in 1985

·         Led the league in doubles three times, hits twice and batting average once (1984)

The only thing missing from his career is a World Series title, if only because he played during one of the worst periods in the franchise’s history.  Therein is the difference between Mattingly and Bernie Williams, whose career ironically took off the year after Donnie retired.

Yet, from 1984 to 1989 he was widely considered the best first baseman in baseball, and was quite possibly the best player in the sport.

Don Mattingly led his teams with quiet confidence and class.  In that sense, he was very similar to Mariano Rivera, the quintessential professional.

Like another famous and loved first baseman that played in the Bronx generations before him,   “Donnie Baseball” was a tragic hero, as his career was cut short by back problems.  There is no telling what numbers Mattingly would have put up if he didn’t have to bow out after 14 seasons.

He did reach the post-season once – in his final year as a Yankee.  In that playoff series – a 5-game loss to the Seattle Mariners – Mattingly hit .417 with an OPS of 1.148.   Oh, what could have been!

His number 23 sits in Monument Park, never to be worn by a Yankee again.   It is a tribute to what he brought to the team and its fans during one of the club’s darkest eras.  Yet, unlike most of the other Yankees forever remembered on the plaques that adorn the hallowed ground, Mattingly does not have his place in Cooperstown even though some of his peers do. 

Perhaps one day the Veteran’s committee will see it fit to give Donald Arthur Mattingly his rightful spot alongside other greats in the Hall of Fame.  Until then, we will do what we can to push for his entry to baseball’s home of immortals.

Our efforts start with placing him alongside Bernie Williams in the Bronx house of deities.  We rank him eleventh among the “gods” in the Yankees Mount Olympus.


    
--Steve Skinner, BYB Guest Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

 


The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY MATTINGLY BELONGS IN THE HALL OF FAME

The New York Yankees certainly have their share of plaques in the MLB Hall of Fame and, with the likes of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera as shoo-in first ballot inductees they will have more to come. However, there is one glaring omission from the ranks of Hall of Fame Yankees - Donald Arthur Mattingly.
The "Donnie Baseball" played 14 seasons for the Bronx Bombers, beginning in 1982 and concluding in 1995 after back issues prevented him from going any further. During that time he wowed Yankee Stadium crowds with both his bat and his glove. His style of play on the field and his quiet class off the field forever endeared him to New York Yankee fans, and resulted in his number being retired in 1997. Read about it in this 1997 article HERE, from a young Jack Curry.

Since his retirement there have been a number of his peers elected to the Hall of Fame that have either put up comparable statistics or worse statistics than Don Mattingly. For the sake of this argument, I have selected three of them for comparison.

Robin Yount, Paul Molitor and Kirby Puckett are all in the MLB Hall of Fame. All played in roughly the same era as Don Mattingly (with Yount and Molitor beginning their careers before Mattingly and with Puckett beginning after and completing the same years as Mattingly). All three are deserving in their own right of having a plaque in Cooperstown, but an argument can be made that Don Mattingly is just as deserving or even more so than each of them.

Before looking at numbers, let's examine accolades each of the four players earned in their stellar careers.

• Robin Yount played 20 seasons - all with the Milwaukee Brewers. During that time he won two MVPs, three Silver Slugger awards, one Gold Glove and was selected an All-Star three times.

• Paul Molitor played 21 seasons, all but the final six with the Milwaukee Brewers. He never was selected as MVP, won four Silver Sluggers, zero Gold Gloves and was selected an All-Star seven times.

• Kirby Puckett played 12 seasons, all with the Minnesota Twins. He too was never selected as MVP, won six Silver Sluggers, six Gold Gloves and was selected an All-Star 10 times.

• Don Mattingly played 14 seasons, all with the New York Yankees. He was selected as MVP once, won three Silver Sluggers, nine Gold Gloves and was selected an All-Star six times.
  

Based on accolades alone, one can see why putting Don Mattingly in the Hall of Fame would make sense. In addition to having more Gold Gloves than the other three, two of the others (Puckett and Molitor) never won an MVP - an award Mattingly has.

Besides awards won, the argument for Don Mattingly being in the MLB Hall of Fame would not be complete without a statistical comparison of the four players I have mentioned:
As I stated earlier, in each of the statistical categories above, Don Mattingly is either comparable or better than each of the other three. It should be noted that unlike the other three, Mattingly only played in one postseason, but hitting .417 is still HITTING .417!The statistics certainly show that Don Mattingly belongs among this group and is at the very least, the equal to each of them. Mattingly offered a lot more than just statistics and awards to New York Yankee fans. He was the quiet leader on the field and in the clubhouse. His achievements during the 1987 season alone should have virtually ensured his induction into Cooperstown. During that year Don Mattingly broke a record that had stood since 1955 for Grand Slams in one season - slugging 6. In addition, he tied a record set by Dale Long in 1956 for most consecutive games hitting a home run with 8. He brought excitement to an otherwise below-standard season for the Yankees.

During his prime, Don Mattingly was considered the premier first baseman in baseball. His cat-like reflexes and on-field leadership combined with his imposing presence at the plate set him apart from his peers.There is an argument that the reason Don Mattingly isn't in the Hall of Fame is that he does not have a World Series ring. The other three players I have compared him to in this article all have at least one. My response is that a World Series ring is the culmination of superior effort by a TEAM, not one specific individual. It takes a roster of 25 players to win a World Series, not one player. The fact that Mattingly had the misfortune of playing on teams that either lacked pitching or depth is no fault of his and should not be used as the reason he is kept out of baseball's hallowed territory.

Based on the numbers, based on the man, Mattingly belongs in the Hall of Fame. Do you agree or disagree? Tell us...comment.

(This article was also published by the Bleacher Report.)



--Steve Skinner, BYB Guest Writer

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and look for the hashtag #BYB. Also, join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.