Cooperstown Choices: Don Mattingly
With the Hall Of Fame election announcement coming on January 9, 2012, it is time to review the ballot, go over the names, and decide who belongs in the Hall Of Fame.
There are twenty seven men on the ballot this year and we will take a look at each one individually prior to official announcements. You can find all of the profiles in the I-70 Baseball Exclusives: Cooperstown Choices 2012 menu at the top of the page.
Tune in Saturday, January 7, 2012 as I-70 Baseball Radio will host a panel of writers discussing the Hall Of Fame Ballot in a 2-hour special.
In this article, we take a look at Don Mattingly.
Don Mattingly
A career first baseman that became affectionately known as Donnie Baseball, Mattingly spent his entire 14 year career wearing the pinstripes of the New York Yankees. He debuted in 1982 and retired following the 1995 season, putting together a successful career in the years between.
| Year | Tm | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | NYY | 7 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .167 | .154 | .167 | .321 | -11 |
| 1983 | NYY | 91 | 279 | 34 | 79 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 32 | 0 | 21 | 31 | .283 | .333 | .409 | .742 | 107 |
| 1984 | NYY | 153 | 603 | 91 | 207 | 44 | 2 | 23 | 110 | 1 | 41 | 33 | .343 | .381 | .537 | .918 | 156 |
| 1985 | NYY | 159 | 652 | 107 | 211 | 48 | 3 | 35 | 145 | 2 | 56 | 41 | .324 | .371 | .567 | .939 | 156 |
| 1986 | NYY | 162 | 677 | 117 | 238 | 53 | 2 | 31 | 113 | 0 | 53 | 35 | .352 | .394 | .573 | .967 | 161 |
| 1987 | NYY | 141 | 569 | 93 | 186 | 38 | 2 | 30 | 115 | 1 | 51 | 38 | .327 | .378 | .559 | .937 | 146 |
| 1988 | NYY | 144 | 599 | 94 | 186 | 37 | 0 | 18 | 88 | 1 | 41 | 29 | .311 | .353 | .462 | .816 | 128 |
| 1989 | NYY | 158 | 631 | 79 | 191 | 37 | 2 | 23 | 113 | 3 | 51 | 30 | .303 | .351 | .477 | .828 | 133 |
| 1990 | NYY | 102 | 394 | 40 | 101 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 42 | 1 | 28 | 20 | .256 | .308 | .335 | .643 | 81 |
| 1991 | NYY | 152 | 587 | 64 | 169 | 35 | 0 | 9 | 68 | 2 | 46 | 42 | .288 | .339 | .394 | .733 | 103 |
| 1992 | NYY | 157 | 640 | 89 | 184 | 40 | 0 | 14 | 86 | 3 | 39 | 43 | .288 | .327 | .416 | .742 | 107 |
| 1993 | NYY | 134 | 530 | 78 | 154 | 27 | 2 | 17 | 86 | 0 | 61 | 42 | .291 | .364 | .445 | .809 | 120 |
| 1994 | NYY | 97 | 372 | 62 | 113 | 20 | 1 | 6 | 51 | 0 | 60 | 24 | .304 | .397 | .411 | .808 | 112 |
| 1995 | NYY | 128 | 458 | 59 | 132 | 32 | 2 | 7 | 49 | 0 | 40 | 35 | .288 | .341 | .413 | .754 | 97 |
| 14 Seasons | 1785 | 7003 | 1007 | 2153 | 442 | 20 | 222 | 1099 | 14 | 588 | 444 | .307 | .358 | .471 | .830 | 127 | |
| 162 Game Avg. | 162 | 636 | 91 | 195 | 40 | 2 | 20 | 100 | 1 | 53 | 40 | .307 | .358 | .471 | .830 | 127 | |
Why He Shoudl Get In
Mattingly is one of the historic figures in Yankee lore. A dependable player that was a field leader for the team for a long period of time. He pulled in an American League Most Valuable Player award in 1985, strung together six consecutive All Star appearances from 1984-1989. He also showed stellar defense, has witnessed by his nine Gold Glove awards. His three silver slugger awards show that he could handle the bat, as well.
Why He Should Not Get In
Despite all of his achievements, he fell short on many categories that voters hold dear. His hit total (2153), home run total (222), doubles (442) and runs batted in (1099) leave a little to be desired. Donnie Baseball may be a great Yankee and a memorable player, but he needed a few more season to be Cooperstown worthy.
Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
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