With a 14-year career spent playing entirely for the New York Yankees, Don Mattingly finished with nine Gold Glove Awards and three Silver Slugger Awards. While Don Mattingly never won a World Series Championship, he did play in six All-Star games and won the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1985. Referred to as Donnie Baseball, Don Mattingly finished with a lifetime batting average of .307, 222 home runs, and 1,099 runs batted in. In addition, upon his retirement, the Yankees retired his team number 23. Once his playing days were over, Don Mattingly worked with the New York Yankees as a coach under manager Joe Torre. When Torre took the job as the Los Angeles Dodgers manager, Don Mattingly followed, eventually taking Torre’s place when he signed as Dodgers manager at the end of the 2010 season. After parting ways with the Dodgers in 2015, Don Mattingly became the manager of the Miami Marlins. The 1984 Fleer Don Mattingly rookie card, number 131 out of 660 cards, represents the player’s 1983 rookie season. Mattingly hit .283 during his rookie season, in addition to hitting only four homeruns and finishing with 32 runs batted in. Subsequent years saw an improvement in Don Mattingly’s production, with a total of at least 20 or more homeruns in each of the next six years. His batting average likewise saw an increase, with an average above.300 in the next six years as well. Beginning in 1986, Don Mattingly matched his offensive power with a great defensive showing, winning the first of his nine Gold Glove Awards. While playing, Mattingly participated against many rivals, including the Boston Red Sox. One-time Red Sox opponent and rival Wade Boggs eventually signed with the Yankees in 1993. Together, Mattingly and Boggs helped the Yankees to reach the playoffs, the first and only time in Mattingly’s career, with the team eliminated in the first round. A true sports and baseball legend, Mattingly surprisingly was never inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a player. When searching for baseball cards to purchase on online auction sites, look for graded cards. Look for baseball cards in the same place you find basketball, hockey, and football cards. In addition, look for baseball cards graded by Beckett Grading Services (BGS) or Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). Services like PSA-grade baseball cards and assign them a condition, such as Mint. Cards with a grade of mint or higher demand a higher resale price and usually find a place of honor in collectors’ set of sports cards. More importantly, a rookie card represents a player’s first season, an important distinction in baseball and other sports, increasing their value over other baseball cards. Whether graded by PSA or BGS, a 1984 Fleer Don Mattingly baseball card finds itself as one of the most sought collectibles in baseball. The status as Mattingly’s rookie card only adds to the card’s value. To really up the value of the card, look for an autographed version, making sure the autographed Fleer rookie baseball card has the necessary authentication.
Product Identifiers
BRAND
Fleer
eBay Product ID (ePID)
92243705
Product Key Features
Team
New York Yankees
Year
1984
Additional Product Features
Name
DON Mattingly
Role Featured
Player
Sub-Set Name
Rookie FIRST Baseman
Card Attributes
Rookie
Era
Modern (1981-Now)
Card Brand
Fleer
Number of Cards
660
Card Number
#131
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