I am not a Yankees fan by any stretch of the imagination. But in the late-1980s, Don Mattingly was one of the most well-known players in the game, so I was well aware of his career. And I was also from Cleveland, so it’s not like there was anyone on the Indians who were going to outshine him.
A couple of years ago I had the chance to get Mattingly in person. I have a complete 1989 Bowman set that my dad bought me when I was a kid, and decided to crack it open–maybe for the first time ever–to dig out the Mattingly card. I was lucky enough to get him with almost no trouble. I was happy, but nowhere near as thrilled as some of the Yankees fans who were there.
Mattingly was a very good player. But like many good players, injuries derailed what could have been a great career. During his peak, from 1984-1989, Mattingly hit .327/.372/.530 with a 147 OPS+. He averaged 27 HR and walked more than he struck out (293:206). During this run, he was selected to six All-Star teams, won five Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, and the 1985 AL MVP award.
During the second half of his career, Mattingly was plagued with back issues that sapped his power. During this period he hit .286/.345/.405 with a 105 OPS+, but only 10 HR a year. He was still a good hitter, and very good with the glove (adding four more Gold Gloves to his resume), but he was not the same player.
Mattingly ended his career probably the second-greatest Yankee first baseman, only trailing Lou Gehrig.