MVP Profile: Don Mattingly, 1985

First Baseman, New York Yankees

Age:  24 (April 20)

3^rd season with Yankees

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height: 6’0”    Weight: 175 

Prior to 1985:

A native of Evansville, Indiana, Mattingly was a three-sport star at Reitz Memorial High School in football and basketball as well as baseball. With an excellent work ethic, he drew much attention from scouts and was chosen by the Yankees in the 1979 amateur draft. He signed and was initially assigned to Oneonta of the short-season Class A New York-Pennsylvania League where the 18-year-old batted .349 in 53 games. Advancing to Greensboro of the Class A South Atlantic League in 1980 where he hit a league-leading .358 with 32 doubles, 9 home runs, and 105 RBIs. Moving up to the Nashville Sounds of the Class AA Southern League in 1981, Mattingly batted .316 with 35 doubles, 7 home runs, and 98 RBIs. Appreciated as much for his defensive play in the outfield and at first base as well as his hitting, he was promoted to the Columbus Clippers of the Class AAA International League in 1982, where he hit .315 with 24 doubles, 10 home runs, and 75 RBIs, earning a September trial with the Yankees where he appeared in seven games and produced two hits. Gaining a roster spot with the Yankees in 1983, he was rarely used and was sent back to Columbus, where he hit .340 until getting another shot with the Yankees in June when reserve DH/pinch-hitter Bobby Murcer retired. Filling in as a reserve outfielder and first baseman, Mattingly appeared in 91 games for the Yanks and batted .283. He became the starting first baseman in 1984 thanks to a strong spring and got off to a hot start. Showing more power than he had during his climb up the minor league ladder, he finished with 23 home runs to go along with a league-leading 44 doubles and edged teammate Dave Winfield for the batting title (.343 to .340) in the season finale. He also topped the AL with 207 hits. His RBIs totaled 110 and he had a .381 OBP and .537 slugging percentage while performing ably at first base. Mattingly placed fifth in league MVP voting.  

1985 Season Summary

Appeared in 159 games

1B – 159

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 727 [4]

At Bats – 652 [4]

Runs – 107 [6, tied with Wade Boggs]

Hits – 211 [2]

Doubles – 48 [1]

Triples – 3

Home Runs – 35 [4]

RBI – 145 [1]

Bases on Balls – 56

Int. BB – 13 [3]

Strikeouts – 41

Stolen Bases – 2

Caught Stealing – 2

Average - .324 [3]

OBP - .371 [10, tied with Rod Carew & Brian Downing]

Slugging Pct. - .567 [2]

Total Bases – 370 [1]

GDP – 15

Hit by Pitches – 2

Sac Hits – 2

Sac Flies – 15 [1]

League-leading doubles were +2 ahead of runner-up Bill Buckner

League-leading RBIs were +21 ahead of runner-up Eddie Murray

League-leading total bases were +48 ahead of runner-up George Brett

League-leading sac flies were +2 ahead of runner-up Tom Brunansky

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 27, HR - 9, RBI - 69, AVG - .309, SLG - .481, OBP - .348

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 4 AB) at Oakland 5/25, (in 7 AB) at Oakland 8/26 – 15 innings, (in 6 AB) at Milwaukee 9/9 – 10 innings, (in 5 AB) at Toronto 10/6

Longest hitting streak – 20 games

HR at home – 22

HR on road – 13

Most home runs, game – 2 on five occasions

Multi-HR games – 5

Most RBIs, game – 4 on five occasions

Pinch-hitting – No appearances

Fielding

Chances – 1412

Put Outs – 1318

Assists – 87

Errors – 7

DP – 154

Pct. - .995

Awards & Honors:

AL MVP: BBWAA

MLB Player of the Year: Sporting News

Gold Glove

Silver Slugger

All-Star

Top 5 in AL MVP Voting:

Don Mattingly, NYY.: 367 pts. - 23 of 28 first place votes, 94% share

George Brett, KCR: 274 pts. – 5 first place votes, 70% share

Rickey Henderson, NYY: 174 pts. – 44% share

Wade Boggs, Bos.: 159 pts. – 41% share

Eddie Murray, Balt.: 130 pts. – 33% share

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Yankees went 97-64 to finish second in the AL Eastern Division, 2 games behind the division-winning Toronto Blue Jays, while leading the league in runs scored (839), RBIs (793), and stolen bases (155). Owner George Steinbrenner replaced manager Yogi Berra with Billy Martin 16 games into the season and the club struggled until the second half of June into July, when they were 2.5 games out at the All-Star break. Another slump was followed by a surge that had the Yanks closely trailing the Blue Jays until derailed by an eight-game September losing streak, although they won 10 of their next 12 to fall short of Toronto at season’s end. The addition of CF Rickey Henderson and Mattingly’s hitting spurred the club’s impressive offensive production. 

Aftermath of ‘85:

Mattingly followed up with another strong season in 1986, batting .352 with 31 home runs and 113 RBIs while leading the AL with 238 hits, 53 doubles, a .573 slugging percentage, and 388 total bases. He placed second in league MVP balloting. Starting off in a slump in 1987 he was back in his usual hitting groove when he was sidelined by a back injury in June. Returning to action after three weeks on the shelf, he went on a hitting tear that included home runs in a record-tying eight consecutive games. He went on to hit a record six grand slams during the season, after having never hit one during his major league career previously. At season’s end, despite missing 21 games to injury, he batted .327 with 30 home runs and 115 RBIs and placed seventh in American League MVP voting. Mattingly’s production dropped somewhat in 1988 to .311 with 37 doubles, 18 home runs, and 88 RBIs although he remained an All-Star and Gold Glove recipient at first base. The numbers were similar in 1989 as “Donnie Baseball” batted .303 with 37 doubles, 23 home runs, and 113 RBIs. In 1990 he was rewarded with a five-year, $19.3 million contract extension. Chronic back trouble (which would affect the remainder of his playing career) limited him to 102 games in which he hit .256 with just 5 home runs and 42 RBIs. Following a rigorous offseason training regimen, Mattingly was named team captain for 1991. While taking his leadership role very seriously, he also feuded with Yankee management, asking to be traded and sanctioned for his failure to get a haircut in accordance with club rules, which proved to be a public relations fiasco for the team. His production at the plate was .288 with 35 doubles, 9 home runs, and 68 RBIs. The floundering Yankees showed slight improvement in 1992 and Mattingly again batted .288 while hitting 40 doubles and 14 home runs along with 86 RBIs. Further improvement came in 1993 and Mattingly batted .291 with 17 home runs and 86 RBIs. During the strike-shortened 1994 season, he hit .304 with 6 home runs and 51 RBIs. The Yankees reached the postseason for the only time in Mattingly’s career in 1995, and he contributed a .288 average, .341 on-base percentage, 7 home runs and 49 RBIs. In his only taste of postseason action, he hit .417 with a home run and 6 RBIs in the ALDS loss to the Seattle Mariners. Choosing to sit out the 1996 season, Mattingly retired in 1997. For his major league career, spent entirely with the Yankees, “The Hit Man” batted .307 with 2153 hits that included 442 doubles, 20 triples, and 222 home runs. He scored 1007 runs and compiled 1099 RBIs while producing a .358 OBP and .471 slugging percentage. A six-time All-Star, Mattingly also was awarded nine Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers. He finished in the top 10 in league MVP voting four times, winning once, and the Yankees retired his #23. Mattingly has utilized his leadership ability and baseball knowledge as a manager, thus far with the Dodgers and Marlins. Through 2021 his teams have produced a record of 446-363 and he was NL Manager of the Year in 2020.

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MVP Profiles feature players in the National or American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award (1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present) as Most Valuable Player. 

Cy Young Profile: Bret Saberhagen, 1985

Pitcher, Kansas City Royals

Age:  21 (Apr. 11)

2^nd season with Royals

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 160

Prior to 1985:

Born in Chicago, Saberhagen was raised in California. He played baseball at Grover Cleveland High School in Reseda where he pitched and played shortstop. He compiled a 24-2 high school pitching record that was capped by a no-hitter in the West Valley League championship game. Despite questions regarding his velocity he was chosen by the Royals in the nineteenth round of the 1982 amateur draft, Saberhagen first was assigned to the Florida Instructional League where he posted a 7-2 record with a 2.35 ERA. With teams at the Class A and AA levels in 1983 he was a combined 16-7 with a 2.55 ERA and 130 strikeouts. He advanced to the Royals at age 20 in 1984 and appeared in 38 games, 18 of them starts, finishing with a 10-11 tally and 3.48 ERA. A control pitcher with a fastball, curve, slider, and changeup he entered 1985 as part of a promising pitching rotation.

1985 Season Summary

Appeared in 32 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 32

Games Started – 32

Complete Games – 10 [8]

Wins – 20 [2]

Losses – 6

PCT - .769 [2]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 1 [18, tied with 25 others]

Innings Pitched – 235.1 [15]

Hits – 211

Runs – 79

Earned Runs – 75

Home Runs – 19

Bases on Balls – 38

Strikeouts – 158 [9]

ERA – 2.87 [3]

Hit Batters – 1

Balks – 3 [2, tied with eleven others]

Wild Pitches – 1

Midseason Snapshot: 10-4, ERA - 2.78, SO – 73 in 126.1 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 12 (in 9 IP) at Oakland 9/14

10+ strikeout games – 2

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 9 IP) at Milwaukee 5/17

Fielding

Chances – 62

Put Outs – 22

Assists – 38

Errors – 2

DP – 4

Pct. - .968

Postseason Pitching:

G – 4, GS – 4 (ALCS vs. Toronto – 2 G; World Series vs. St. Louis – 2 G)

CG – 2, Record – 2-0, PCT – 1.000, SV – 0, ShO – 1, IP – 25.1, H – 23, R – 6, ER – 6, HR – 2, BB – 3, SO – 16, ERA – 2.13, HB – 1, BLK – 0, WP – 0  World Series MVP

Awards & Honors:

AL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

AL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

10^th in AL MVP voting (45 points, 11% share)

AL Cy Young voting (Top 5):

Bret Saberhagen, KC: 127 pts. – 23 of 28 first place votes, 91% share

Ron Guidry, NYY: 88 pts. – 4 first place votes, 63% share

Bert Blyleven, Clev./Min.: 9 pts. – 1 first place vote, 6% share

Dan Quisenberry, KC: 9 pts. – 6% share

Charlie Leibrandt, KC: 7 pts. – 5% share

Royals went 91-71 to finish first in the AL Western Division by 1 game over the California Angels. The pitching staff led the league in shutouts (11, tied with Detroit) and fewest home runs allowed (103). 7.5 games behind the Angels at the All-Star break, the Royals surged in the last six weeks of the season and clinched their seventh division title in 10 years in the final game. Won ALCS over the Toronto Blue Jays, 4 games to 3. Won World Series over the St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 3. The Royals overcame 3-games-to-1 deficits in both the ALCS and World Series to gain their first World Series title.

Aftermath of ‘85:

Saberhagen and the Royals experienced difficulties in 1986, with the team dropping under .500 in a third-place finish and the pitcher posting a 7-12 record in an injury-riddled season. Saberhagen got off to a 15-3 start in 1987 on his way to an 18-10 tally with a 3.36 ERA and 163 strikeouts. He was an All-Star for the first time. He had a rough year in 1988 in which he compiled a disappointing 14-16 record with a 3.80 ERA and 171 strikeouts while leading the league by giving up 271 hits over 260.2 innings. Saberhagen rebounded in 1989 with a 23-6 record, 2.16 ERA, and 193 strikeouts and received his second AL Cy Young Award. 1990 was a down year, although he was an All-Star selection, and he missed time due to elbow surgery. He ended up at 5-9 with a 3.27 ERA while starting just 20 games. A shoulder injury put Saberhagen on the Disabled List for a time in 1991, but he was effective when he did pitch, going 13-8 with a 3.07 ERA that included a no-hitter against the White Sox in August. Having made $2.95 million in ’91 as part of a long-term contract that the Royals wanted to unload, Saberhagen was traded to the New York Mets in the offseason as part of a five-player deal. In his first year with the Mets in 1992, he started slowly and caught fire until suffering a finger injury. Saberhagen ended up appearing in only 17 games and posted a 3-5 record with a 3.50 ERA. He was awarded a three-year contract extension for $15.4 million, Always prone to be a prankster, he got himself in trouble in 1993 for setting off a firecracker in the vicinity of reporters and for spraying bleach at reporters in the clubhouse, which resulted in a fine and suspension. He was further hindered by a knee injury that required surgery and ended up at 7-7 with a 3.29 ERA while starting 19 games. Saberhagen rebounded in the strike-shortened 1994 season with a 14-4 record and 2.74 ERA with 143 strikeouts while walking only 13 batters over the course of 177.1 innings pitched. He was an All-Star and placed third in NL Cy Young voting. With the Mets performing badly in 1995, Saberhagen was dealt to the playoff-bound Colorado Rockies at the end of July and went a combined 7-6 with a 4.18 ERA and 100 strikeouts over 153 innings. Following major shoulder surgery, he missed the entire 1996 season. Saberhagen returned in 1997 as a member of the Red Sox organization, pitching for three minor league clubs before joining Boston late in the season. He was effective for the Red Sox in 1998, going 15-8 in 31 starts with a 3.96 ERA and 100 strikeouts. In an injury-plagued 1999 season Saberhagen was 10-6 with a 2.95 ERA and 81 strikeouts. Hindered by injuries, he rehabbed at the minor league level in 2000 and finished out his major league career by appearing in three games with the Red Sox in 2001, after which he called it quits. For his major league career Saberhagen compiled a record of 167-117 with a 3.34 ERA, 76 complete games, 16 shutouts, and 1715 strikeouts over 2562.2 innings. With the Royals he was 110-78 with a 3.21 ERA, 64 complete games, 14 shutouts, and 1093 strikeouts over 1660.1 innings. In 10 postseason starts he posted a 2-4 record with a 4.67 ERA and 38 strikeouts over 54 innings. Saberhagen was, in addition to being a two-time Cy Young Award-winner, a three-time All-Star. He received one Gold Glove for his fielding prowess.

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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league.  

Rookie of the Year: Ozzie Guillen, 1985

Shortstop, Chicago White Sox

Age:  21

Bats – Left, Throws – Right

Height: 5’11” Weight: 150

Prior to 1985:

Having first displayed his fielding prowess in his native Venezuela, Guillen was signed by the San Diego Padres at age 16 in 1980. Playing in the Class A Gulf Coast League in 1981 he batted .259 and appeared at second base and shortstop. With Reno of the Class A California League in 1982 he ranked second in batting with a .347 average and first with 103 runs scored. In the field he topped the circuit’s shortstops with 240 put outs. Moving on to the Beaumont Golden Gators of the Class AA Texas League in 1983 he hit .295 and ranked among the league’s top shortstops in the field. In 1984 Guillen advanced to Las Vegas of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League where he batted .296 and was named as shortstop on the league’s All-Star team after topping all other players at the position with 362 assists. In the offseason he was traded to the White Sox as part of a six-player deal that brought RHP LaMarr Hoyt to San Diego. For 1985 Guillen moved into Chicago’s lineup where his outstanding play at shortstop brought a major improvement to the club’s defense.

1985 Season Summary

Appeared in 150 games

SS – 150, PH – 14, PR – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 513

At Bats – 491

Runs – 71

Hits – 134

Doubles – 21

Triples – 9 [5, tied with Jesse Barfield]

Home Runs – 1

RBI – 33

Bases on Balls – 12

Int. BB – 1

Strikeouts – 36

Stolen Bases – 7

Caught Stealing – 4

Average - .273

OBP - .291

Slugging Pct. - .358

Total Bases – 176

GDP – 5

Hit by Pitches – 1

Sac Hits – 8 [19, tied with six others]

Sac Flies – 1

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 10, 3B – 2, HR – 0, RBI - 15, AVG - .240, OBP – .265

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 4 AB) vs. NY Yankees 8/14

Longest hitting streak – 8 games

Most HR, game – 1 (in 4 AB) vs. NY Yankees 8/14

HR at home – 1

HR on road – 0

Multi-HR games – 0

Grand Slams – 0

Most RBIs, game – 3 vs. Seattle 7/2, vs. Detroit 7/22

Pinch-hitting – 1 of 14 (.071)

Fielding

Chances – 614

Put Outs – 220

Assists – 382

Errors – 12

DP - 80

Pct. - .980

Awards & Honors:

AL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

AL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Ozzie Guillen, ChiWS.: 101 pts. – 16 of 28 first place votes, 72% share

Teddy Higuera, Mil.: 67 pts. – 9 first place votes, 48% share

Ernie Riles, Mil.: 29 pts. – 21% share

Oddibe McDowell, Tex.: 25 pts. – 1 first place vote, 18% share

Stew Cliburn, Cal.: 16 pts. – 1 first place vote, 11% share

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White Sox went 85-77 to finish third in the AL Western Division, 6 games behind the division-winning Kansas City Royals while committing a league-low 111 errors in the field.

Aftermath of ‘85:

While still a solid fielder in 1986, Guillen’s batting average dropped to .250 and his lack of patience at the plate again had him drawing only 12 walks, this time over 577 plate appearances. He raised his average to .279 in 1987 and stole 25 bases, still only walking 22 times in 604 plate appearances. He also led AL shortstops with 760 chances and 105 double plays. Guillen was an All-Star for the first time in 1988 primarily due to his excellent fielding, as he again led AL shortstops in chances (863) as well as assists (570). His batting average fell to .261 while he again stole 25 bases. The arrival of second baseman Scott Fletcher in a midseason trade in 1989 provided Guillen with a reliable double play partner and he ranked second among league shortstops with 806 chances, 272 putouts, and 512 assists, and third with 106 DPs. He batted .253 with 36 stolen bases and drew only 15 walks. The White Sox jumped from last place in ’89 to second in the AL West in 1990 and Guillen received a Gold Glove for his play at shortstop and ranked 17^th in AL MVP voting in addition to being an All-Star. He hit .279 and achieved a career high with 58 RBIs. He was an All-Star for the third, and last, time in 1991 and batted .273. Defensively, Guillen ranked second among AL shortstops with 709 chances, 249 put outs, and 439 assists. After seven seasons of never appearing in fewer than 149 games, a knee injury in April of 1992 ended his season in just 12 games and required surgery. He returned in 1993 to hit .280 and remained an outstanding performer in the field despite the effects of knee surgery. Guillen capped the comeback year by appearing in the postseason for the first time with the AL West champion White Sox. He hit .273 with a double and 2 RBIs in the six-game ALCS loss to Toronto. Guillen remained a reliable performer with the White Sox through 1997, after which he departed to the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent in 1998. He lasted only 12 games with the Orioles before being released. He caught on with the Atlanta Braves as a utility infielder and batted .277 the rest of the season. Guillen stayed on with the Braves in 1999, appeared in 92 games, and hit .241. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays signed him as a free agent in 2000, his last major league season in which he was again utilized as a utility player. For his overall career he batted .264 with 1764 hits that included 275 doubles, 69 triples, and 28 home runs. Guillen also compiled 619 RBIs and 169 stolen bases. With the White Sox he hit .265 with 1608 hits, 240 doubles, 68 triples, 24 home runs, 565 RBIs, and 163 stolen bases. He later went on to manage the White Sox from 2004 to 2011 where the team compiled a 678-617 record and won the 2005 World Series, garnering him AL Manager of the Year recognition. He later managed the Miami Marlins for a year and has since managed in his native Venezuela.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.