Donald Arthur Mattingly is an American former professional baseball first baseman, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed “The Hit Man” and “Donnie Baseball”, he spent his entire 14-year career playing with the New York Yankees and later managed the Los Angeles Dodgers for five years and the Miami Marlins for seven seasons.
Mattingly was named to the American League (AL) All-Star team six times. He won nine Gold Glove Awards (an AL record for a first baseman), three Silver Slugger Awards, the 1984 AL batting title, and the 1985 AL Most Valuable Player.
He served as captain of the Yankees from 1991 through 1995, when he retired as a player. The Yankees later retired Mattingly’s uniform number (23), making him the only Yankee to have his number retired without having won a World Series with the team.
The Dodgers and Mattingly mutually parted ways after the 2015 season, and he became manager of the Miami Marlins in 2016. He remained with the Marlins until they mutually parted ways after the 2022 season.
Why is Don Mattingly Not In The Hall of Fame?
Mattingly was on the Hall of Fame ballot from 2001 to 2015, never getting enough votes for induction. In his first year, he received 145 votes (28.2%), but this steadily declined; by 2009, only 12% of voters still put him on their ballots.
In 2015, Mattingly’s eligibility expired after fifteen attempts. He had been grandfathered onto the ballot after the committee restricted eligibility to ten years. Mattingly is now eligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame via the Modern Baseball era committee.
Mattingly has been honoured by two minor league Halls of Fame. He was inducted into the South Atlantic League Hall of Fame in 1994 and the New York–Penn League Hall of Fame in 2015.
In 2001, Mattingly was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame; his plaque displays his phenomenal high school and professional career. In 1987, he was named the American Legion Graduate of the Year, for his success in the Major Leagues following his American Legion baseball career.
What Is Don Mattingly Famous For?
Don Mattingly is known and considered by many to be the greatest New York Yankees player to never appear in the World Series. He played his entire career with the Yankees, making his debut in 1982.
In 1984, he led the American League with a .343 batting average, and in 1985, he was the American League Most Valuable Player. Mattingly hit over .300 each season between 1984 and 1989. He was also an excellent defensive first baseman, winning nine Gold Gloves in his career.
He was on the Hall of Fame ballot for 15 seasons, starting in 2001, but his support hovered around 15% only. In 2012, it reached a peak of 17.8%, still well below the total that would make him a serious candidate for election, with his time on the ballot running out, but in 2013, it fell to 13.2% and in 2014, it fell further, to 8.2%.
In his final year of eligibility via the BBWAA in 2015, he received 9.1% of the vote. He first came into consideration by the Veterans Committee in 2020, as one of ten candidates from the “Modern Baseball” period (1969-1987) but failed to gain election.