Don Mattingly’s Hall of Fame Drought Continues

ORLANDO — Don Mattingly’s wait for a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame just grew a bit longer.

The former Yankees first baseman once again fell short in the voting by the Modern Baseball Era Committee, coming up six votes shy of the required total. The announcement was made on Sunday.

Among the eight players on the ballot—Mattingly, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Dale Murphy, Gary Sheffield, and Fernando Valenzuela—each needed 12 votes from a 16-member committee to secure induction next July. However, only Kent received a vote.

This marks the 19th time Mattingly has been nominated for the Hall of Fame.

Interestingly, just three years ago, Fred McGriff was chosen unanimously for enshrinement but also only got eight votes. Mattingly has participated in the Baseball Writers Association of America’s voting for 15 years, yet he’s yet to cross the 75% threshold, only receiving 28.2% of the time.

Reflecting on his situation, Mattingly stated in a recent podcast, “If that doesn’t happen, it’s not going to change who I am or how I think about things. There’s no bitterness there. But I hope I get that opportunity.”

His next chance at induction will come in 2028 when the Modern Baseball Era Committee votes again.

At 64, Mattingly might have had an easier route to Cooperstown had he not dealt with a chronic back injury that curtailed his career.

Over his 14 seasons in Major League Baseball, Mattingly was a standout player—making six All-Star teams, winning nine Gold Gloves, and securing the 1985 American League MVP Award. He posted a .307 batting average with an OPS of .830, tallying 2,153 hits, 222 home runs, and 1,099 RBIs.

Most of his impressive stats stem from the 1984 to 1989 period, during which he was one of the game’s leading talents, before the degenerative issues in his back began to take a toll. His MVP-winning season in 1985 was particularly notable—he finished with a .324 average, 35 homers, and 145 RBIs, along with a .939 OPS. Mattingly also regularly appeared in the MVP voting, finishing second in 1986, fifth in 1984, and seventh in 1987.

Mattingly’s career bWAR stands at 42.4, with 33.0 of that coming between 1984 and 1989. According to JAWS, Jay Jaffe’s system for assessing Hall of Fame candidates, Mattingly ranks 40th all-time among first basemen with a score of 39.1, just ahead of the late Gil Hodges, who was selected posthumously in 2021.

After injuries forced his retirement following the 1995 season—officially confirmed in 1997—Mattingly transitioned to coaching, serving as hitting coach for the Yankees and Dodgers, before managing the Dodgers and Marlins for 12 seasons. Recently, he returned to the spotlight as the bench coach for the Blue Jays, but unfortunately, he didn’t secure his first World Series title.

This year’s committee, responsible for evaluating significant contributors since 1980, included Hall of Famers Fergie Jenkins, Jim Curtin, Juan Marichal, Tony Perez, Ozzie Smith, Alan Trammell, and Robin Yount, along with Major League executives and veteran media members.