In December 2022, Don Mattingly was, once again, on the ballot to join other legends of the game in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but somewhat unsurprisingly, the former player, manager, and coach missed out yet again, the 15th time he has been on the ballot only to be passed over by those on the 16-strong committee.
On this latest occasion, Mattingly once again didn’t get enough of the required votes from the committee, and just Fred McGriff, 1995 World Series champion, and enjoyed a 19-year MLB career before calling it a day and retiring in 2005.
Despite the remarkable achievements Don Mattingly manifested throughout his career as a first baseman for the New York Yankees, he unfortunately does not grace the halls of the Hall of Fame. Although the MLB scores and standings he achieved, including a .307 lifetime batting average and ranking among the top 10 in the American League in hitting five times, are impressive, they may not meet the longevity and consistency standards typically valued by Hall of Fame voters. Mattingly's career, while stellar, was relatively short due to his injuries. In essence, a Hall of Fame award doesn't just look at the zenith of a player's career, but at the player's sustained performance over an extended period. So, despite Mattingly's undeniable talent and contribution to the game, his exclusion from the Hall of Fame is due to the brevity of his peak performance years.
Mattingly was up against a host of players who were up for a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame, including controversial nominees including Barry Bonds, Roger Clemons, and Rafael Palmeiro, who have all been linked with steroid use and any player who wants to get in, must receive a dozen votes from the 16-person committee.
Don Mattingly got eight, Schilling seven, Dale Murphy six, Bonds, Clemons, and Palmeiro all received less than four votes, as did Albert Belle. On the disappointment of missing out again, Mattingly commented;
“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.’’
“I don’t know how else to look at it other than you played your cards, proud of my career to an extent,’’
“I know it didn’t end the way I wanted it to as far as production or time. But those are also cards that you’ve been dealt, and you do the best you can with it.” Mattingly added.
Mattingly was a six-time MLB All-Star pick before his career was ended abruptly due to back issues, and he also won nine Gold Gloves and was the American League MVP for 1985. His playing career ended in 1995, and he spent three years as a coach at the New York Yankees before a two-year spell with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
His first managerial role was at the Dodgers between 2011 and 2015 before he moved to join the Miami Marlins, where he enjoyed six seasons in charge, winning the National League Manager of the Year award in 2020.
He took over as coach of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023, and they are currently third in the American League East with an 81-67 record, and he’ll be hoping to take the team deep into the post-season, something they haven’t managed since losing the American League Champion Series to the Cleveland Indians in 2016.
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