How good was Donnie Baseball?

doubledragon

I've been up to no good, poking around on ebay, and I couldn't help but notice a lot of Don Mattingly cards are pretty high priced. I've always heard he was not Hall of Fame worthy, so just how good was Don Mattingly?

doubledragon

You see, this is what football offseason does to me, it makes me crazy. It's only a matter of time before I start throwing cats at you people!

doubledragon

I might not know much but I do know one thing, Don Mattingly's name was said a lot on Seinfeld. Heck, I heard his name dropped on an episode just the other night. I wonder if that helped make him so popular? 🤔

doubledragon

Oh, oh! I've been up to no good again, poking around on YouTube, and I just happened to run across this video of Donnie Baseball trying to chase down a pop up that goes into the fan section. So, Donnie tries to chase it down, and when he gets over to the fan section, he notices a young lad has a bucket of popcorn, and Don helps himself to a bite! Freakin legendary.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OvSmfyRc3pM

perkdog

Double D, he was great. He played in NY which elevated him a little I think but all around stud player.

doubledragon

@perkdog said:
Double D, he was great. He played in NY which elevated him a little I think but all around stud player.

Yes, being a Yankee definately helped him, and of course having this cool looking poster didn't hurt either.

perkdog

If Harold Baines is a HOF’er so isn’t Donny Baseball

perkdog

But really he was good for a stretch of 8 or so years I think then wasn’t all
that good for 5 or 6 seasons if I remember correctly. Either way someone will come along and tell the true tale

doubledragon

@perkdog said:
But really he was good for a stretch of 8 or so years I think then wasn’t all
that good for 5 or 6 seasons if I remember correctly. Either way someone will come along and tell the true tale

Truth be told perk, I really don't care. This is what the football offseason does to me, it makes me crazy!

perkdog

@doubledragon said:

@perkdog said:
But really he was good for a stretch of 8 or so years I think then wasn’t all
that good for 5 or 6 seasons if I remember correctly. Either way someone will come along and tell the true tale

Truth be told perk, I really don't care. This is what the football offseason does to me, it makes me crazy!

I don’t either Double D, I’m just padding my post count 🤷‍♂️😂😂😂

craig44

Donnie was very very good for 4-year stretch. I remember him even being compared to Gehrig for a little bit in the mid 80's. I believe he originally injured his back sometime in either the 87 or 88 season with some dugout horseplay. It effectively sapped his power.

I think his popularity has to do with him being the lone bright spot in a 15 year or so period of really bad baseball in NYC. also, that he jumped out of the gate so strongly as a young player.

doubledragon

@perkdog said:

@doubledragon said:

@perkdog said:
But really he was good for a stretch of 8 or so years I think then wasn’t all
that good for 5 or 6 seasons if I remember correctly. Either way someone will come along and tell the true tale

Truth be told perk, I really don't care. This is what the football offseason does to me, it makes me crazy!

I don’t either Double D, I’m just padding my post count 🤷‍♂️😂😂😂

We might as well get something out of this! 😂😂

doubledragon

Oh my, look at the fans going crazy for Don's autograph, and Donnie is the center of attention. I bet the ladies just threw themselves at him, and look at that mustache, perfectly cut and groomed. Tom Selleck ain't got nothin' on Donnie freakin Baseball!

ShaunBC5

He’s a HOF guy in my book. How do his stats line up? I have no idea. My childhood impression of him, though, is that he should be on the hall.

1951WheatiesPremium

Don Mattingly was a Hall of Fame talent but his career was not Hall of Fame worthy.

The funny thing about Donnie Baseball that I’ve come to learn is how popular he was outside NY. But he earned it; people liked the way he played the game and he was a complete player - excellent defender, heady, clutch. Watching him play, he just seemed a throwback - not a lot of flash and a swing that looked like a snake uncoiling with incredible bat speed through the zone and a strong finish to it. The eye black and the mustache and the pinstripes - it just all worked. He was doing incredible things from 1984 -1988 and setting records he still holds at least a share of (HR in 8 consecutive games, Grand Slams in a season (6) ).

The HR streak was one of the best hitting stretches by any hitter. Ever.

Mattingly’s offensive statistics during the streak were astounding. In eight games, he hit 10 home runs, two of which were grand slams. He drove in 21 runs and picked up 17 hits in 37 at-bats for a .459 average. He had two doubles and scored 11 runs. He struck out just twice. With 49 total bases in his 37 times at bat, he had a 1.324 slugging average.

Also, @craig44 - Did you know there’s something pretty interesting about the 1980s Yankees? No franchise in baseball won more games than the Yankees did in that decade. People may forget this was the days of AL East and West only where two teams made the playoffs in each league; the Yankees were in the hunt in September and had a lot of 2nds and 3rds. It’s the Yankees and there were no titles so the era is viewed as just a mess of awful teams when in reality that wasn’t the case. They were just bad Yankees teams, if that makes sense. And it’s long been believed that their prolonged absence from the postseason was a contributing factor in the creation of three divisions and Wild Card era that we’re in now.

1951WheatiesPremium

And he was also helped out by being on some really great looking cards...

ringer

If he could’ve replicated his best for your stretch, he would be in the hall. But he just didn’t have much beyond that four year stretch. He was legendary for four years, and somewhat pedestrian after that.

jay0791

Donnie BB was the best player in baseball for a couple of years. A bad back shortened and slowed his career.
Other than that he was a HOF for sure. He was one of the best defensive 1st baseman in baseball ever.
I would take a healthy DM over just about anybody.

Nice cards 51WP

1951WheatiesPremium

@jay0791 said:
Donnie BB was the best player in baseball for a couple of years. A bad back shortened and slowed his career.
Other than that he was a HOF for sure. He was one of the best defensive 1st baseman in baseball ever.
I would take a healthy DM over just about anybody.

Nice cards 51WP

Thanks, @jay0791

craig44

@1951WheatiesPremium said:
Don Mattingly was a Hall of Fame talent but his career was not Hall of Fame worthy.

The funny thing about Donnie Baseball that I’ve come to learn is how popular he was outside NY. But he earned it; people liked the way he played the game and he was a complete player - excellent defender, heady, clutch. Watching him play, he just seemed a throwback - not a lot of flash and a swing that looked like a snake uncoiling with incredible bat speed through the zone and a strong finish to it. The eye black and the mustache and the pinstripes - it just all worked. He was doing incredible things from 1984 -1988 and setting records he still holds at least a share of (HR in 8 consecutive games, Grand Slams in a season (6) ).

The HR streak was one of the best hitting stretches by any hitter. Ever.

Mattingly’s offensive statistics during the streak were astounding. In eight games, he hit 10 home runs, two of which were grand slams. He drove in 21 runs and picked up 17 hits in 37 at-bats for a .459 average. He had two doubles and scored 11 runs. He struck out just twice. With 49 total bases in his 37 times at bat, he had a 1.324 slugging average.

Also, @craig44 - Did you know there’s something pretty interesting about the 1980s Yankees? No franchise in baseball won more games than the Yankees did in that decade. People may forget this was the days of AL East and West only where two teams made the playoffs in each league; the Yankees were in the hunt in September and had a lot of 2nds and 3rds. It’s the Yankees and there were no titles so the era is viewed as just a mess of awful teams when in reality that wasn’t the case. They were just bad Yankees teams, if that makes sense. And it’s long been believed that their prolonged absence from the postseason was a contributing factor in the creation of three divisions and Wild Card era that we’re in now.

that's really interesting. I remember it being a really big deal in 1995 when they made the postseason for the first time since 1981 I believe. then won the series the next season. i wish Donnie had hung around for just one more season

fiveniner

@perkdog said:
If Harold Baines is a HOF’er so isn’t Donny Baseball

You are so right. Don sure is better than Harold or Larry Walker or at least as good as.

dallasactuary

This is the primary danger of admitting players like Harold Baines to the HOF; the list of people who can legitimately claim to be better than Baines and therefore belong in the HOF contains literally hundreds of names, Mattingly, of course, included. My test has always been "was he as good as Orlando Cepeda", the player I think ought to define the bottom of the HOF. Mattingly does not pass that test.