Don Mattingly

Don Mattingly was a first baseman for the New York Yankees from 1982 to 1995 and is generally considered to be one of the best hitters to ever play the game. After his retirement, Mattingly became the hitting coach for the Yankees under Manager Joe Torre from 2004 to 2006, moving to bench coach in the 2007 season. After Torre's departure for the Los Angeles Dodgers at the end of the 2007 season, Mattingly became the hitting coach for the Dodgers.

Fast Facts:

1. Born: April 20, 1961
2. Hometown: Evansville, Indiana
3. Won American League MVP Award in 1985

Career

While a high school player in Indiana, Mattingly was regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in 1979, and remained with the Yankees organization until 2007. Mattingly's hitting style was particularly suited to Yankee Stadium, with its short right field porch within easy reach of left-handed power hitters. In 1984, Mattingly and teammate Dave Winfield battled for the batting title, which Mattingly won on the last game of the season by hitting 4-for-5. The following year, Mattingly won the AL MVP Award, batting .324, with 22 home runs, and 145 RBIs. Although Mattingly was the most-loved Yankee of his generation, he never played in a World Series, and only played in the postseason once, in 1995. Mattingly was forced to retire at the end of the 1995 season because of recurrent back problems. He finished his career with 222 home runs, and a lifetime batting average of .307.

Coaching

In 2004, Joe Torre named Mattingly to be the Yankees hitting coach; he was promoted to bench coach in 2007. Although he was supposed to begin duty as the Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach in 2008, he was forced to delay the start of his tenure due to personal problems resulting from divorce proceedings involving his estranged wife Kimberly.

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