Don Mattingly and David Wright were great ballplayers in their prime years. Both guys played in New York, were team captains, faces of the franchise, and represented their teams during an era that featured a lot of losing baseball. Don Mattingly’s Yankees tenure marks the team’s current and longest World Series drought; 1982-1995. Besides the Mets’ NLCS run in 2006 and their World Series run in 2015, the Mets were an absolute laughing stock during the career of David Wright. Despite the team’s success, both players were on a Hall-of-Fame track during their prime.

Don Mattingly Career Statistics/Awards (1982-1995):

.307 BA, 2,153 HITS, 222 HR, 1,099 RBI, 1007 RUNS, .358 OBP

  • 6x All-Star
  • 9x Gold-Glove
  • 3x Silver Slugger
  • 1984 Batting Title
  • 1985 MVP

David Wright Career Statistics/Awards (2004-2018):

.296 BA, 1,777 HITS, 242 HR, 970 RBI, 949 RUNS, .376 OBP

  • 7x All-Star
  • 2x Gold-Glove
  • 2x Silver Slugger

Don Mattingly’s Prime Years: *Bold and Italic means led the league

1984: .343 BA, 23 HR, 110 RBI, 207 HITS, .381 OBP (153 Games)

1985: .324 BA, 35 HR, 145 RBI, 211 HITS, .371 OBP (159 Games)

1986: .352 BA, 31 HR, 113 RBI, 238 HITS, .394 OBP (162 Games)

1987: .327 BA, 30 HR, 115 RBI, 186 HITS, .378 OBP (141 Games)

1988: .311 BA, 18 HR, 88 RBI, 186 HITS, .353 OBP (144 Games)

1989: .303 BA, 23 HR, 113 RBI, 191 HITS, .351 OBP, (158 Games)

David Wright’s Prime Years: 

2005: .306 BA, 27 HR, 102 RBI, 176 HITS, .388 OBP (160 Games)

2006: .311 BA, 26 HR, 116 RBI, 181 HITS, .381 OBP (154 Games)

2007: .325 BA, 30 HR, 107 RBI, 196 HITS, .416 OBP (160 Games)

2008: .302 BA, 33 HR, 124 RBI, 189 HITS, .390 OBP (160 Games)

2009: .307 BA, 10 HR, 72 RBI, 164 HITS, .390 OBP (144 Games)

2010: .283 BA, 29 HR, 103 RBI, 166 HITS, .354 OBP (157 Games)

2012: .306 BA, 21 HR, 93 RBI, 178 HITS, .391 OBP (156 Games)

When Mattingly was at his best, you saw some black/bold type stats on the back of his baseball card. He won the AL MVP in 1985 and the 1984 Batting Title; I think he should’ve won the MVP in 1984. Mattingly hit .300 and was money in the bank, 110 RBI a year. Fielding-wise, he played a great defensive First Base even when he was battling through injuries, winning a total of nine Gold Gloves. 

In 1990, the back started to give out on Mattingly, and everything fell apart once you hurt your back. He could still fight through his back problems and still play in a good chunk of games during the final five-six years of his career. He adapted as a “Slap Hitter,” getting a good number of Hits while hitting for a respectful Average and playing good defense. But his power faded, and he was a shell of the hitter he once was. He was 29 when the injuries started to kick in for Mattingly. He could’ve had at least three-to-four more Hall-of-Fame seasons that could’ve buffered him up for Cooperstown.

While David Wright wasn’t as dominant of a player as Mattingly, at his peak, he was having a Chipper Jones kind of career before the injuries started to kick in. He made Seven All-Star teams and took home the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards twice. Wright had the power to hit for over 30 home runs and 100 RBI, but he also had the contact to hit over .300.

David Wright would also have back problems derailing him from finishing his career the right way. He was the Mets franchise leader in Hits, RBIs, Doubles, Walks, Extra Base Hits, and Runs scored. At 31, Wright was still young and producing enough that he left a lot on the table.

Besides the positions, the only difference between Mattingly and Wright is that Don Mattingly at his peak was a dominant generational ballplayer. David Wright, for the most part, I think he’s more of a franchise-level player than a dominant generational hitter. Both guys put together what I like to call five “Hall-of-Fame” seasons. Both players were why fans went to the games despite the team’s lack of success. Unfortunately, Injuries are part of the game. One last thing, in 2018, in the second to last game of the season, the Mets allowed Wright to play a Saturday night game against the Marlins to give him a proper chance to say goodbye. There was no chance that Wright would be able to play again. The Marlin’s manager was Don Mattingly. 

References:

  1. Don Mattingly Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mattido01.shtml
  2. David Wright Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wrighda03.shtml