Why Don Mattingly is the perfect manager to get the most out of Phillies

Don Mattingly is the perfect fit to help both the Phillies offense and defense

His knack for hitting makes him the perfect new voice and teacher for a Phillies team that's collectively hitting only .219, the second-lowest team batting average in MLB. Even Schwarber, who blasted 56 home runs last season, has cratered to become a feast-or-famine type of slugger with a pedestrian .196 average through 102 at-bats. 

In terms of a regularly used player with at least 90 at-bats, only left fielder Brandon Marsh is hitting above .263 at .297. If Mattingly can't bring out more from the lineup, the odds of anyone else being able to are slim. 

Beyond what Mattingly could offer the Phillies offense, he won nine Gold Gloves at first base as a player, making him an asset to Harper as he attempts to perfect the defensive side of the position. 

Don Mattingly has proven he can win as a manager 

Most importantly, Mattingly has a history of winning as a manger, at least when leading a worthy roster. His Marlins tenure was mostly a failure with only one postseason appearance in seven seasons, but his rosters weren't blessed with the star power he will now have in Philadelphia. 

When working with a quality roster, Mattingly led the Los Angeles Dodgers to three straight National League West Division titles in a pre-Shohei Ohtani era that saw the Dodgers struggle before his arrival in 2011. 

Getting a team out of the basement of a highly contested NL East won't be easy, but the 65-year-old Mattingly wouldn't have accepted this interim opportunity if he wasn't interested in giving it his best shot. And just as Mattingly is exactly what this Phillies team needs, they can help him re-prove himself as a manager all over again, too.