READY TO WIN: Don Mattingly came to Blue Jays for one ambitious reason (2024)

DUNEDIN, Fla. – On the back fields at the Blue Jays player development complex, they are inseparable.

Vlad Guerrero Jr., a few steps to the left of first base, Don Mattingly a few steps to the right. From one nine-time Gold Glove Award winner to a current player who snagged his first last season, it’s been fascinating to watch the relationship evolve.

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Making his first impression as the Jays new bench coach, the former Yankee great Mattingly is here, among other things, to further refine and accelerate the development of the young Toronto superstar.

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And in return, perhaps can Guerrero Jr. can help Mattingly get something that has eluded him throughout his vast and varied career – A World Series title.

Mattingly didn’t come here merely to find work but rather to pursue a championship with a like-minded group.

“I’ve never won the whole thing,” Mattingly said in an interview while running through the lengthy list of things that attracted him to the Jays when he was approached by general manager Ross Atkins in the off-season. “I think it’s a huge part of why I’m here. This is a team that is ready to win.

“Some places, all the puzzle pieces and the stars and the moon have to align and everything has to go perfect and then maybe you can win.

“This is not that place. We’ve got a legitimate chance. We’ve got the talent and if you play up to your ability, you’re in the hunt.”

Sounds like vintage Mattingly, the intensely competitive Donnie Baseball so revered by New York Yankees fans.

When he walked away from the manager’s job with the Marlins last season, many wondered what the future would hold for the 61-year-old, a baseball outlier who played all of his 14 big league seasons with the Bronx Bombers.

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Worn down by some of the tedium associated with the position, Mattingly wasn’t in a rush to post his name on a job wanted board.

“In my mind, when I walked away from Miami I didn’t want to come back unless the situation was right,” Mattingly said. “I didn’t really expect Toronto to call me. I didn’t even think about Toronto, honestly. But when Ross called, I was just so intrigued to hear him talk about where I fit in with this group.

“I wanted to go to a place that has an excited fan base and a team that I felt like was on the verge, a team where everything didn’t have to go perfect to win. And this team is ready to win.

“They want to take the next step. This was something that made me want to leave the house again.”

There were some caveats before Mattingly agreed to join the Jays, the top one being an insistence that manager John Schneider be on board with the hire. The last thing he wanted to be seen as was the future manager of the Jays.

Besides being a huge Mattingly fan growing up in Connecticut, Schneider jumped at the chance at having a great baseball mind as his right hand man.

“He’s humble and just wants to deliver the same messages as me (and the other coaches),” Schneider said of the early days of Mattingly’s Jays tenure. “The guys definitely appreciate his knowledge.”

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The respect is mutual as Mattingly has quickly come to appreciate his boss. The pair consult during drills and batting practice, clearly bouncing ideas off of one another, forming a dynamic that will be visible in the Jays dugout throughout the season.

“Schneids is going to be a great manager for a long time, but he’s just starting,” Mattingly said. “I’m there to be a sounding board for him, but he also wants me to be a part of the hitting group, the base-running group, the defending group. I’m actually looking forward to get my hands dirty and to dig in.

“When you’re a manager, you’re overseeing so much that you can’t really get involved. And I missed that part of coaching.”

Mattingly hasn’t wasted any time getting those hands dirty with his new team. The vitality he’s brought to his work has been evident at every corner of the development complex that he wanders and especially in his work with Guerrero, a player he already greatly admires.

“The attitude of the guys is really good,” Mattingly said. “The process in terms of the way they work is really good. It just feels like these guys want to win. “I’ve been impressed with the whole organization and the way they treat people is first class.

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“When you see the younger guys, you see what’s coming. And then with the veterans they’ve brought in, the mix is really good.”

As he immerses himself with his new team and new role, Mattingly is similarly impressed with the blueprint set in place by Schneider and the coaching staff.

“It’s easy to say we want to win, but there’s a price to pay for that and sometimes it’s the small details that talented guys don’t always feel they have to do,” Mattingly said. “Making sure we hit every cut off man. Making sure we’re moving our feet. Making sure we’re catching routine balls and not running into outs.

“I feel like it’s their story. We’re very talented, but it’s time for the next step and I feel that’s the perfect message.”

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