Don Mattingly Is Done In South Florida After Seven Seasons

He sported a pristine white Marlins jersey and sat on a dais in between team president David Samson and general manger Mike Hill, an introductory press conference that brimmed with hope and featured buzzwords like “continuity” and “talented.”

Don Mattingly, the former player with the pinstriped pedigree and whose Yankee playing career came under the demanding watch of owner George Steinbrenner, was all smiles when he took over the Miami managerial reins in late 2015. He was by no means inexperienced in that department, having left the storied Dodgers franchise after five seasons managing in Hollywood, where he compiled a 446-363 record.

“The consensus around baseball is that this is a talented club. It’s a young, talented club that has a good core, that has a chance to grow and develop,” said Mattingly when he was introduced as the new Marlins skipper. “And for me, that was the single biggest thing, and the reason that I was so intrigued with coming to Miami, was the chance to develop, the chance to teach, the chance to help mold a young club and to build towards winning the division, winning a championship.”

“It sounds and hears and smells like continuity. There’s less show,” Samson said of Mattingly.

But after seven seasons in South Florida that included a lot of tumult — surviving a transfer of ownership and a new front office regime; the tragic death of an ace pitcher; myriad player trades; low payroll; and presiding over all but one winning season — Mattingly is out in Miami after the ‘22 campaign concludes.

Mattingly, 61, announced Sunday that he will not be back next year and his contract expires at the end of this season. The Marlins are 30-plus games behind the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves entering Wednesday night and will miss the postseason. Again.

“I think always, you try to follow your heart,” Mattingly said Sunday. “And that’s what I do. Honestly, you know what’s inside of you and you try to be deliberate and let things work through, and you just follow your heart and you know when it’s the right thing.”

Mattingly arrived when Jeffrey Loria still owned the team, but despite inheriting a roster that included outfielders Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich and pitcher Jose Fernandez, a rising star in the league, the Marlins finished in third place in the NL East in 2016. Mattingly’s debut season with the club ended in tragedy when Fernandez was killed in a boat crash, along with two other passengers.

The following year, Loria eventually sold the team to an ownership group that included another former Yankee great, Derek Jeter, and businessman Bruce Sherman. But after Jeter was installed as chief executive officer, one of his first orders of business was to overhaul the front office, including dismissing Hall of Famers Andre Dawson and Tony Perez. Samson was also fired.

Jeter then traded star players Stanton, Yelich, and Marcell Ozuna after the ‘17 season, leaving Mattingly to make do with a roster of no names in 2018. Stanton had just won the 2017 NL MVP award and clubbed 59 homers. The Marlins finished last in the division and only won 63 games. In 2019, things didn’t get much better, and Mattingly steered the team to a pitiful 57 total wins.

The Marlins turned things around under Mattingly during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, earning a playoff berth. It was the first postseason appearance by the franchise since 2003, but although the team had an exciting wild-card series win over the Cubs, the Braves swept Miami in the division series.

There would be no momentum leading into 2021, as the Marlins and Mattingly went backwards, finishing fourth in the NL East. Before the start of this season, Jeter shocked the baseball world by stepping down from his CEO post. And Sunday, it was Mattingly’s turn to bid adieu to Miami, as the club slogs toward another sub-.500 season.

There will be no more Donnie Baseball in Miami, but that doesn’t mean Mattingly is done managing. At least, his exit remarks seemed to leave the door open for another chapter in the dugout.

“I feel great,” Mattingly said. “My mind still works. Some of you guys might argue differently at times, but I feel like my mind works good. My body feels great, still feel good. So, I don’t want to go sit on the couch, that’s for sure.”