Don Mattingly Hired As Philadelphia Bench Coach
We know him as the legendary Donnie Baseball. The world knows him as Don Mattingly, the newest bench coach for the Philadelphia Phillies MLB team. He’s spent 14 years as a Major League Baseball player, 12 as a manager, and 17 as a coach. He spent his entire playing career as a first baseman, playing for only one team, the New York Yankees. While this is a rare feat, it’s even rarer in baseball. In MLB history, a mere 192 players have played for only one team. If you want to nerd out on some baseball statistics, here you go. Mattingly is also known for his coaching career, having managed the Miami Marlins from ’16-22 and the Dodgers from ’11-15. More notably and recently, he’s known for his illustrious World Series run with the Toronto Blue Jays this past year. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays lost in a game seven thriller to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Philadelphia Will Be A Mattingly Family Affair
When Mattingly announced he was leaving the Blue Jays, right after a storybook season with the Blue Jays, my husband predicted he would go to Philly. I told him he was crazy. Then he reminded me that’s where Preston is, and it all came together. Preston Mattingly is Don’s second-oldest son and happens to be the General Manager in Philly. Some will say it’s excellent to take advantage of the family ties (even though that’s not what’s happening here). Others, including the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, see potential trouble if the family dynamic bleeds into the clubhouse. From mlb.com:
“Dombrowski last month addressed the fact that the father-son combo could be a potential issue in the clubhouse, if players felt there was a direct line of communication from the clubhouse to the front office.”
Dombrowski appears to be a full supporter of Mattingly’s, having confirmed their intention to hire Mattingly at last month’s Winter Meetings. Aside from direct family, this isn’t the first time Mattingly has worked with Rob Thomson. Having spent time in the Yankees organization together, they’ve been a baseball family before. Thomson told MLB.com, “I think it’d be awesome. I think it’s a perfect fit for a ballclub. Just his intelligence, presence, and experience. It would be a really good fit.”
Don Mattingly Through The Years
A collection of Don Mattingly photos as a player and coach through the years.
Gallery Credit: Lori Mae
Â