Don Mattingly Learns, Polishes, Plots, Dreams and Drills at Shortstop

Sometimes, he sneaks out to shortstop during the New York Yankee batting practice to take grounders and fire clean, accurate, right-handed pegs to first base.

Usually, nobody notices him because he’s built like a shortstop--a hair under 6 feet tall and 175 pounds--moves nimbly like a shortstop and wears an inconspicuous infielder’s number--23.

Because Don Mattingly throws left handed, because he’s a Gold Glove first baseman, because he’s the best hitter and the best player in baseball at this moment, very few people realize he is out at shortstop--learning, polishing, plotting, dreaming.

“He’s always wanted to play shortstop right handed. It’s his fantasy,” says Yankees coach Roy White. “It’s amazing to watch him. You know, he looks like a pretty good shortstop.”

In the 11 years Willie Randolph has played second base for the Yankees, he has been paired with 28 shortstops, six this season. We’re talking Yankee problem area. If Phil Rizzuto didn’t like to beat the traffic, he could probably still win the job.

As usual, Mattingly just wants to help. Last month, he played third base as an extra-inning desperation move and handled three tough plays so brilliantly (and left handedly), that he started at third the next night--making him only the 12th such southpaw this century.

“Some stars would complain that they were being put in a position to embarrass themselves,” scoffed White. “He grabbed a fielder’s glove, ran out there and just loved it all.”

It’s not enough that Mattingly, 25, leads the major leagues in six categories: batting (.351), slugging (.568), total bases (360), hits (223), doubles (49) and extra-base hits (79).

No, it’s not enough that he is in the midst of baseball’s longest hitting streak of the season (23), topping his career best. He hasn’t missed a game all year and should easily surpass the Yankees hit record of 231, set by Hall of Famer Earle Combs.

A month ago, it looked as if Wade Boggs had a batting title in hand and the Most Valuable Player award would go to Roger Clemens or Kirby Puckett. Now, after his binge of .450 hitting, Mattingly has surpassed Boggs (.350) in the silver bat race. The feeling here is that Mattingly should be the seventh man to win back-to-back American League MVP awards. (Starting pitchers are not “players.”)

Like Tony Gwynn and Steve Sax in the National League, or Boggs and Cal Ripken in the American, Mattingly is one of those inspiring players--successors to Pete Rose--who are so fascinated by knowing the game, playing it properly and finding ways to improve themselves that little else ever really enters their minds or clutters them.

Only once has Mattingly lost his bearing--early this season for a few weeks. He had just argued with owner George Steinbrenner over his new $1.37 million contract--a million-dollar raise--and could not get it out of his mind. Baltimore’s Scott McGregor says, “A million-dollar contract doesn’t make you a million-dollar player. After you get the money, you can put some awful pressure on yourself to live up to it.”

“That’s what I did to myself, for the first time in my life,” Mattingly says. “You need to be able to look realistically at yourself, not at the money. You don’t want to settle for less than your best, but also you can’t put unreal demands on yourself, either. Now that problem is behind me. I beat it.”

Others fall over themselves to praise Mattingly. “Don’s such a good example and influence. Mattingly and Mike Pagliarulo (the sophomore third baseman with 28 homers and 71 runs-batted in) are book ends,” says coach Stump Merrill. “I think Pagliarulo idolizes Mattingly. I don’t know how two players with better work habits could exist. Somebody else may be as good, but nobody’s better.”

Naturally, the diligent Mattingly thinks his labor should be rewarded with another most valuable player selection.

Well, not exactly.

Actually, he doesn’t think that the Yankee problem has been injuries or the team’s lousy pitching or its panicky owner. He has spotted another culprit.

“We just haven’t done the job at the crucial times when it had to be done,” says Mattingly. “I don’t feel like I’ve put up the numbers at the right times. I feel like I’ve left a lot of runners on base this year.”

Mattingly has only driven in 105 runs so far. Not up to his standard.

Of course, he keeps thinking, it wouldn’t be too bad for a shortstop.