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Don Mattingly
First-baseman, Left-handed; New York Yankees 1982-1996
Don Mattingly was baseball's premier player from 1984 thru 1989. During that period, no major league player had more RBI's than his 684 and his 1,219 hits were the second highest trailing only Wade Boggs' 1,269. In 1984, Don Mattingly led the American League in batting with .343, led the majors leagues in doubles from 1984-1986, and led the AL in hits in 1984 and 1986. He also led the AL in total bases in 1985-86.
He won four straight Gold Gloves and captured seven in eight years. Mattingly powered 35 home runs in 1985, a major league leading 145 RBI's and was voted the AL's Most Valuable Player. He set a still unbroken major league record in 1987 by hitting six grand slams in a single season. He also tied the major league record by blasting eight home runs in eight consecutive games.
He injured his back in 1990, and although his power numbers fell off, he was still a fine hitter and fielder. In 1992, Mattingly batted .287, hit 40 doubles along with 14 HR's. Nursing the painful back, he still hit .291 in 1993, 27 doubles, 17 HR's with 86 RBI's. The back injury caused him to retire early, but his career numbers are still high: Don Mattingly's career numbers: .309 batting average, hit over 400 doubles and over 200 HR's and drove-in over 1,000 runs.
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