Don Mattingly’s Hall of Fame Journey Continues

This story has been told countless times, often ending in disappointment for Yankees fans.

Don Mattingly has faced the Hall of Fame ballot 18 times, and each time, he has not been elected.

Will number 19 be different, seen as a nod to the Yankees’ 19th round pick?

On Sunday, the baseball community will learn if Mattingly is among the eight candidates up for review by the 16-member Modern Baseball Era Committee during its winter meetings in Orlando.

“Donnie Baseball” requires 12 votes—four more than he received three years ago—to achieve his place in baseball history.

The other candidates include Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Dale Murphy, Gary Sheffield, and Fernando Valenzuela.

Voting members, which consist of Hall of Famers, MLB executives, veteran journalists, and historians, can cast their votes for up to three players.

In the last meeting, Fred McGriff was inducted with 16 votes, while Mattingly came in second with eight. Murphy, who is related to Mattingly, garnered six votes.

A significant change this year states that candidates receiving fewer than five votes will be disqualified in future cycles. If a candidate fails to reach five votes twice, they’re permanently removed from the ballot.

Should Mattingly achieve 75 percent support by gaining four additional votes, it would mean he’d been on the ballot for 25 years before potentially entering Cooperstown.

During his first attempt, Mattingly garnered 28.2 percent of the votes, marking his highest public vote percentage in 15 years.

His next attempt with the Erras Committee, which meets every three years, yielded similar results.

“I would really love to be part of it,” Mattingly expressed recently on the podcast “The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman.” “Everyone wants that recognition.”

While Mattingly’s statistics haven’t changed much, perhaps time after his managerial career will work in his favor, as the Hall of Fame urges voters to consider each candidate’s contributions to the game.

Maybe, with a different base of voters now and some time having passed since his playing days, there will be a refreshed perspective on his impressive achievements.

Mattingly’s career from 1984 to 1989 is well-documented; he was a top player during those years. He won a batting title and an MVP award, ranking second, fifth, seventh, and 15th in the MVP voting during four other seasons. He averaged 26 home runs and over 114 RBIs, with a solid .902 OPS—all while excelling defensively at first base.

As the team’s leader and captain starting in 1991, he made a notable impact. However, back problems due to degenerating discs severely limited his performance in the 1990s, reducing his home run average to below 10 per season from 1990 to 1995.

Ultimately, those injuries led to an early retirement at just 34, just before the Yankees’ dynasty era.

In his final season, he had a remarkable .417 average, hitting a home run and four doubles against the Mariners.

“I chose to retire a bit early,” Mattingly said on the podcast. “I think I had a few good years left. My decisions were also family-oriented, and I have no regrets.”

In total, he made six All-Star appearances, won nine Gold Gloves, achieved 2,153 hits, 222 home runs, 1,099 RBIs, yet never claimed a championship ring. His career batting average stands at .307 with an OPS of .830, but that wasn’t enough for voters from 2001 to 2015.

The way baseball values contributions is evolving; perhaps shorter, peak performances will matter more now than lengthy careers. Mattingly’s stellar resume, even as a manager, includes leading the Dodgers to three straight NL West titles from 2013 to 2015 and earning Manager of the Year honors in 2020 while with the Marlins. He also spent time as the bench coach for the Blue Jays during their first World Series appearance.

However, the changing dynamics of the voting committee remain an unknown. This Sunday, notable figures like Fergie Jenkins, Jim Catfish Hunter, Juan Marichal, Tony Perez, Ozzie Smith, Alan Trammell, and Robin Yount will be among those casting their votes, along with MLB executives and media professionals.

Will they favor shorter but impactful careers like Mattingly’s, or lean toward well-known players with controversial pasts like Bonds or Clemens?