Mattingly steps aside as Dodgers hitting coach

Don Mattingly stepped down as the Dodgers’ hitting coach Tuesday, resulting in former major league outfielder Mike Easler’s becoming the fourth man to hold the position in the last eight months.

The unexpected move came only 23 days before pitchers and catchers are due to report to spring training in Vero Beach, Fla.

Mattingly’s agent, Ray Schulte, said that because of family issues, the former All-Star determined that he had to spend more time at his home in Evansville, Ind., something he’ll be able to do in his new Dodgers role as a major league special assignment coach. Schulte asked that Mattingly’s privacy be respected.

“I’m very grateful that the Dodgers have allowed me to take care of these family matters and I hope that everyone can respect our privacy during this time,” Mattingly said in a statement released by the team. “I truly appreciate the support of all Dodger fans since joining the organization and I look forward to helping the team win in 2008 and beyond.”

Mattingly, 46, was one of two coaches to follow Manager Joe Torre from the New York Yankees, the other being third base coach Larry Bowa.

When Torre was hired by the Dodgers, General Manager Ned Colletti said he would like him to groom his replacement, leading to speculation that the club viewed Mattingly as its next manager.

The former Yankees first baseman has been open about his desire to manage in the big leagues one day and doing so remains his goal, Schulte said.

Whether Mattingly could return to being the hitting coach in 2009 remains uncertain.

“We’re open-minded to it,” Colletti said. “We’ll see how it goes. I can’t predict the future for Donnie.”

Mattingly, whose son Preston is an infielder in the Dodgers organization, spent four years coaching under Torre in New York, serving what was widely assumed to be an apprenticeship to succeed Torre. Mattingly was a finalist for the Yankees job this winter, but lost out to Joe Girardi.

Mattingly said at the time, “I want to take the steps to get to where I want to go.”

He appeared to be doing so with the Dodgers, attending the winter meetings and dropping by the team’s mini-camp at Dodger Stadium this month.

Colletti said that he was surprised when Mattingly told him and Torre a week and a half ago that he couldn’t fulfill his commitment.

“You’re disappointed when anybody has to go through any kind of issue,” Colletti said.

But Colletti said that his opinion of Mattingly hasn’t changed.

“He’s still going to be a piece of the organization,” Colletti said. “I still think he has a great amount of intellect that he can bring.”

What did change were the terms of Mattingly’s contract. Mattingly signed a two-year deal in November worth $400,000 a season that included a team option for 2010. Colletti and Schulte wouldn’t divulge the terms of the new deal.

Colletti said Mattingly will still attend spring training, though his time in Vero Beach might be limited. During the season, Mattingly will help in the “instructional and evaluation areas” by watching games on television, visiting minor league affiliates and joining the big league club on its trips to the Midwest.

Easler, 57, was set to return as a hitting coach for the Dodgers’ triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas for a second season. He inherits a position that belonged to Eddie Murray at the start of last season. Murray was fired in June and replaced on an interim basis by Bill Mueller, who returned to the front office at the end of the season.

Because he was the hitting coach at double-A Jacksonville in 2006, Easler has worked with several of the Dodgers’ young players, including James Loney, Matt Kemp and Andy LaRoche. Colletti said Easler’s familiarity with some of the team’s players was a factor that’s expected to make the transition smooth.

“These kids are like my sons,” Easler said.

Said Loney: “He knows how to work with each individual player. You can always joke around with him. He knows how to keep it loose.”

Easler played for six major league teams over a 14-year career, including the Angels in 1976, and has been a hitting coach for the Milwaukee Brewers (1992), Boston Red Sox (1993-94) and St. Louis Cardinals (1999-2001).

The Dodgers are in the process of finding a replacement for Easler in Las Vegas, assistant general manager DeJon Watson said.

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dylan.hernadez@latimes.com