The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported on Tuesday afternoon that Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly took part in a phone interview for the unoccupied Cleveland Indians’ managerial job.
Mattingly was said to have a phone conversation sometime last week with Indians’ general manager Mark Shapiro and assistant general manager Chris Antonetti.
"I've wanted to manage a long time and I've been moving in that direction," said Mattingly.
According to the Dodgers official site , the Tribe interviewed at least eight candidates for the open position, including former Washington Nationals manager Manny Acta.
It has been confirmed that Acta is currently in Cleveland and is a finalist for the position, yet Mattingly’s status remains unknown—or least unannounced.
In addition to the Cleveland talks, there is also a budding rumor that Mattingly will be in the running for the Nationals job next season.
These developments surprised me because I have expected Mattingly to be the manager-in-waiting behind the Dodgers' current skipper Joe Torre, who speaks highly of Mattingly’s projection as a manager.
“He was a superstar, but you wouldn't know it. He doesn't expect you to listen to him because of that. He has something to say and he works hard. He would be an excellent manager. He's not afraid to be wrong,” Torre said on Tuesday.
Following the 2007 season, Mattingly lost out to Joe Girardi for the job of taking over the Yankees following Torre’s departure.
One of the main reasons that I was expecting Mattingly to take the Dodger reigns after 2010 was because Torre has made it public that he won’t be back after next season.
Under the tutelage of Mattingly, the Dodgers led the Senior Circuit in batting average and on-base percentage in 2009. They also saw an average of 3.88 pitches per at-bat over the course of the season, which was better than the league average (3.82).
Additionally, the team swung at only 23 percent of first pitch strikes, as opposed to the 27 percent league average.
This exemplifies the patient approach that Mattingly preaches and that I talked about earlier in the season (I called it patient aggressiveness).
Mattingly encourages hitters to not be afraid of working deep into the count, as long as you have a pitch you are looking for and that you can drive somewhere.
He has turned the immensely talented young outfield into perhaps the most dangerous offensive outfield in the game today.
Matt Kemp exploded this year into one of the most well-rounded threats at the plate in the entire league, and Andre Ethier emerged as one of the league’s top sluggers and clutch hitters this season.
Both were armed with the knowledge instilled by Mattingly and they utilized their approaches brilliantly throughout the season.
As for Mattingly being pursued by other clubs, I’m not exactly sure what this means for the Dodgers.
General manager Ned Colletti was signed to a long-term contract Tuesday, but last week owner Frank McCourt and CEO Jaime McCourt separated from each other, stirring thoughts of change being ushered into the front office.
I think locking up Colletti was the right move and the same needs to be done for Mattingly.
At age 47, the man is clearly ready to be given the keys to the car, and with Torre on his way out, the club needs to be thinking past this year’s playoff run and into the future to ensure the best possible future for the organization.
Mattingly would provide the team with a knowledgeable manager who learned under one of the most successful leaders of all time in Torre, and I don’t think there is anyone else out there who could supply the insider’s edge that Mattingly possesses.
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