The Milwaukee Brewers need a new manager after Craig Counsell left to sign a five-year, $40 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.
Among the candidates that the Brewers are considering to replace Counsell is Toronto Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Mattingly had a 14-year playing career with the New York Yankees in which he recorded 2,153 hits, smashed 222 home runs, played in six All-Star Games, and won nine Gold Gloves, but never won a round in the playoffs.
After his playing career ended following the 1995 season, Mattingly spent seven seasons as an instructor during Yankees spring training. Mattingly became New York’s hitting coach in 2004 and shifted to the team’s bench coach in 2007.
When Joe Torre left the Yankees for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Mattingly was considered one of the favourites to step in as manager. Instead, the Yankees hired Joe Girardi and Mattingly left New York to join Torre with the Dodgers.
Mattingly was named Dodgers manager after Torre retired following the 2010 season. The team improved its record in each of Mattingly’s first four seasons as manager but he and the Dodgers agreed to mutually part ways after his fifth season in 2015 because of L.A.’s poor playoff results.
After that, Mattingly signed a four-year contract to manage the Miami Marlins. The team’s only winning season during Mattingly’s seven seasons in Miami came during the shortened 2020 campaign when they went 31-29.
Mattingly and the Marlins parted ways following the 2022 season and he joined the Blue Jays as their bench coach. His role on the coaching staff was ultimately to help mentor John Schneider, who managed his first full season in the Major Leagues in 2023. His presence has also been viewed as a part of Toronto’s approach moving to a more old-school, small-ball style of play.
More must-reads: