Don Mattingly talks about Hall of Fame and the Phillies during appearance in Reading | MLB

READING — Sunday could be a monumental day in the life of Don Mattingly.

The former New York Yankees first baseman is one of eight players up for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame via this year’s Era Committee ballot.

He, as well as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Dale Murphy, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela, will find out today whether they earned a place in Cooperstown through the Contemporary Baseball Era ballot, which features players whose primary contributions came since 1980.

Two days before Mattingly was to learn whether he officially is among his sport’s immortals, he was sitting in a room at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Reading — not terribly far from Lancaster — before being the keynote speaker at the Law of Foundation of Berks County and PICPA’s 17th annual Holiday Benefit Luncheon.

“I’ve been through it a couple times,” Mattingly said. “I’m hopeful. Like everybody else would be, so I’m hopeful that it goes well and it goes in my favor, but I kind of leave it at that.”

The 64-year-old has a compelling case.

He was a six-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove winner during his 14-year major league career. He was the 1985 American MVP, when he drove in 145 runs, and won the AL batting title in 1984, when he hit .343. His best season may have been 1986, when he hit .352 with 31 homers, 53 doubles, 113 RBIs and a .967 OPS.

For his career, he hit .307 with 2,153 hits and an .830 OPS.

“I think at the core, nothing’s really, truly going to change about me, or who I am or what I do,” Mattingly said. “So I know that. And you know, again, hopeful because, obviously, a lot of great players are in there, and I’m not going to try to put myself in a category with the greatest players that ever played, but I know I could play a little bit.”

Mattingly spent 15 years on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot for the Hall, getting 28.2% of the vote in his first year of eligibility (2001), but dropping as low as 8.2% in his second-to-last year (2014). Candidates need 75% to be elected.

This will be his fourth time on a committee ballot. Twice he went voteless and in 2023 he received 50% from the 16 ballots cast.

He said he’s grateful for the recent support he has received.

“There’s been a lot of votes,” Mattingly said. “I had 10 (actually 15) years, whatever, that not enough people thought that I was (a Hall of Famer), a couple of these committees where you don’t have enough votes to get in. But to hear people that you know that you feel like have knowledge of the game, understanding, and maybe watched you play over the years think you are that caliber player is a good feeling.”

Mattingly, who was down to earth and humble during his appearance, also touched on other topics, including being in this fall’s World Series as a bench coach with the Toronto Blue Jays — it was his first trip to the Series — and his son, Preston, who is general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Just so happy (with) the road that he’s taken,” Mattingly said of Preston, who went to college after his pro baseball career ended, then worked his way up the front office ladder. “He’s had to work to get where he’s at.”

Father and son could be working together in the 2026 season. The Phillies have an opening at bench coach and are looking for someone with managerial experience to fill the spot. Mattingly fits the bill — he managed the Los Angeles Dodgers for five seasons and the Miami Marlins for seven — and also has a previous relationship with Phils manager Rob Thomson.

Since Mattingly announced he wasn’t returning to Toronto about a month ago, the rumor is that the Phillies are interested.

He was a bit coy when asked if he was a candidate for the job on Friday.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Probably not a question for me.”

It’s not hard to connect the dots, though.

“I thought I was already a Phillie because I got grandfathered in by Preston,” Mattingly said, “so I figure I’m just part of the family now.

“Nothing official at this point, so it’s nothing really to talk about.”

No matter that situation, Mattingly did jokingly say that he already gives advice to Preston.

“I told him if it was up to me, I’d sign (Kyle) Schwarber,” Mattingly said of the free-agent designated hitter who has spent the last four seasons in Philadelphia.

And it’s worth noting that his 11-year-old son, Louis, wants him to continue to work in the game, according to Mattingly.

“That’s been like, ‘Dad, you can’t stop,’ ” Mattingly said. “He kind of fell in love with baseball last year, which was cool.”

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