This was a great analysis. As a kid in the 80s, Don Mattingly was absolutely the man. Keith Hernandez may have ended up having the better overall career
Thank you for your kind words. I had the same thought going into making this video. I was sure Mattingly was the clear winner based on my memory as a kid. As I dug into it deeper for the research for this video my thoughts changed. It is really close but I think Keith has the slight edge. In my opinion both great players though. We really enjoyed making this video. Thank you for watching and thank you for your comment!
It's debatable that Mattingly was the best for 500 games. There were some all-time players playing during that stretch like Rickey Henderson, Cal Ripken, George Brett and one that won more MVPs (i.e. Mike Schmidt - 3 MVPs). I would also say the measure is the entire career not just a period of time during the career. If you look at hitting statistics the numbers are pretty darn close. Thank you for engaging in the debate.
@@dowpman1 Not really sure that is even relevant as to who was better...and Keith is definitely iconic. They are both iconic in my humble opinion, both great players.
Both were really good fielders, Hernandez was slightly better. Mattingly was a much better hitter though. Average, power, Mattingly was the best hitter in the American league from 1984-1988, Hernandez was a decent average hitter with very little power for a 1st baseman. Overall Mattingly was better, but Hernandez lasted longer.
The comments have been split pretty evenly. I initially thought like you did as well...however once I did a deep dive into the topic researching for this video I came away thinking it was basically a toss up. Thank you for watching and thank you for the comment.
You can't hold a TEAMS lack of success against ONE single player! No SINGLE person has ever won a World Series! It makes me sick people hold this AGAINST Mattingly! You got 9 players on the field that ALL need to chip in! Mattingly was putting up incredible numbers. Individuals get voted into the HOF not TEAMS. For a stretch of time he was the BEST player in baseball!
Prompting umpires to tighten defensive positioning rules? Please explain. The catcher has a box and the pitcher has to keep a foot on the rubber, but, up until last year's ban on shifts, those are the only two positioning rules I know of.
The rule is that all players must be in fair territory when the ball is pitched excluding the catcher. Keith used to put his right foot on the bag and the left in foul territory on pick off plays and retreat at the last moment when the ball was pitched. This positioning caused umpires to pay closer attention and call it tighter to the actual rule. Thank you for the comment.
Hernandez was great no doubt, but Donnie Baseball has borderline HOF numbers, and in fact may make the hall via the vet committee. He was probably the best player for a span of 6 years from 84-89, most gold gloves for a first basemen in the AL, MVP in 85 and should won MVP in 86, has single season HR records for Grand Slams and consecutive HR games. Yes hes back injury in 1990 halved his power but he still hit for high average and he ended up with a .307 career BA.
@@ron88303 a toss up maybe because Hernandez played much longer but didn't have the all around skill.of a mattingly...take em at their best... Donnie is better
True story, one season there was a game where Mattingly was up at the plate with Ken Kaiser as the umpire, the pitcher throws the ball to the catcher Ken ask Mattingly where the ball was , he tells him low and outside, and Ken Kaiser calls it a ball, now that’s absolute respect
I'm a Yankees fan so my vote is obvious. As far as the team success, The Mets had great pitching while the Yankees were medicore. Look at how well Mattingly played in his lone playoff. That was in his last season
Good points. Mattingly definitely played for some teams with mediocre pitching staffs. They weee both so good and to me it is a toss up. I had fun watching both play and in my opinion they are hall of fame players. Thank you for watching and thank you for the comment!
If you reversed roles then the mets would be world champions in 84 up until 1888 and keith hernandez wouldn't have any with those yankee teams. Both were great no doubt but Donnie baseball was given that nickname for a reason
@@BBUYTTV But Yes played one poistion....Mattingly was so good defensively he played 3B with the glove on the wrong hand,,How many 3rd basemen in the histoty of baseball have you seen with the glove on the right hand Mattingly career fielding pct.996 Hernadez .994....Msttingly 68 career errors Hernandez 115 career errors
@@frikster5176 It's a good point, but Mattingly rarely played other positions, not really a big enough sample size to say he was even good at the other positions. As for the fewer errors and fielding percentage, Mattingly played in 300+ fewer games than Hernandez, so I don't really see that as a strong argument. I totally think Mattingly is one of the best ever defensively to play first, I just feel like Hernandez was better and impacted the game more defensively though his aggressive play. You raise very good points though. Thank you for the good debate!
1986 World series game 6 is possibly one of the greatest games in World series history. Definitely top 5. But in my opinion the 88 Mets were a better team and should have won in 88 too. As a Mets fan I have been saying maybe next year for 37 years
Definitely one of the best games ever. I think you might be right about the 88 Mets, they really should have won it that year. Thank you for watching and thank you for the comment!
I grew up during that time and I initially thought Mattingly based on my memory. However, when we did the research for the video I came to the conclusion that it slightly leaned towards Hernandez or at worst a toss up. The feedback has been roughly 60/40 in favor of Hernandez so far. In my opinion both were great players. Thank you for watching and thank you for the comment!
He was a game changer at first for sure. A rarity for a position where defense is more of an afterthought. Thank you for watching and thank you for the comment!
@@Bruins-vq5ey No way that opinion holds any water. Keith is probably the best defensive first baseman ever. At a minimum he has more gold gloves than Mattingly
@@BBUYTTV gold gloves are opinion based also..voting has always been suspicious with writers favouring certain players. Also mattingly has no pressure either playing under a microscope that is the NYY... He never wavered.. More gold gloves? He played longer.. Donnie has back issues for over half his career
@@Bruins-vq5ey Sure if that helps you sleep at night. The consensus opinion in baseball is that Hernandez was the superior first basemen. Not saying Mattingly wasn't a great first baseman, just not as good defensively as Keith.
Before I give my decision, I probably have to be a bit biased and say that there is not a player on this earth, who wears a baseball uniform that I like more than Mattingly. There’s not many human beings I’ve seen on a baseball field, make the plays that Keith Hernandez has made. But I will say there is this one play in particular where Mattingly was running down the right field line and made a catch over his shoulder, and in one action, Threw a dead strike to the catcher at home plate to nab the runner trying to tag up. While Keith Hernandez was a very good hitter, mattingly was just magic with the bat. And while Mattingly is still in the league as a coach, Keith Hernandez, along with Ron Darling and Gary Cohen are the absolute best broadcasting trio ever. So with everything said, I call a draw. And I absolutely demand that both men go to the baseball Hall of Fame.
I agree with you it is pretty close to a toss up between the two...and I also think these guys belong in the hall of fame. Thank you for watching and thank you for the comment!
Donny baseball. Keith a slight edge in defense (both were elite), but that only gets you so far. And Mattingly should have been MVP in ‘86 for his 2nd in a row.
@@BBUYTTV Pitching. they had no ace (an old Guidry was their ace), and trotted out old Niekros and other sub average pitching. Bullpen was average. Can’t fault Mattingly for that. Mets had Gooden, Darling, Ojeda, Fernandez, etc and a much better bullpen than the Yankees did. I’d also add Steinbrenner wasn’t banned like he was in ‘90’s and some in ‘70’s. He was hair triggered and made many bad short term moves especially after 1981 World Series loss.
@@dougnewman3935 While I agree that you can't fault Mattingly for that, other teams were able to overcome average pitching staffs. In fact, the 82 Cardinal team Hernandez was on that won the world series had what I would call a barely average pitching staff...the starters were all journeyman and Bruce Sutter would be the only pitcher that would be considered great...but he only pitched an inning or two every few games. So despite a less than stellar pitching staff and a weaker lineup than Mattingly played with in many years, Hernandez was able to lead his team to a championship. As for the Mets, you are correct they just had superior talent. Just my opinion. Thanks!
@@BBUYTTV i think you’re underestimating’82 Cardinals pitching. Andujar, Forsch and LaPoint pitched 650 innings and were a combined 39-22 with about a combined 3 ERA. that’s a quality 3. Doug Blair almost logged 100 innings with a 2.55 era and finished 5-3. team era was 3.37. that’s not bad. closest yankees got in mattingly’s prime was ‘85 and they won 97 games…Cardinals were able to clinch division with 92 games in ‘82. Baseball isn’t basketball there are so many factors at work. All Mattingly did in 1985 was win gold glove and MVP with .324 and 35 HR 48 2B and 145 RBI. it’s not his fault pitching wasn’t there and his catcher batted .223 his SS .218 his 3B .239 and his DH .231. Steinbrenner made dumb decisions. Playoffs in old division winner takes all play has to be considered differently.
Is this a joke? Hernandez was a solid player but not at the level of Mattingly. In the mid 80s, Mattingly was considered the best player in MLB. That says it all
Hernandez held that title as well in 1979 as the MVP of the National League...plus Mattingly was good for a much shorter period of time. Additionally Mattingly never had a title on some pretty stacked Yankees team (Hernandez had 2 as a key leader on each team). I would also argue that there were several other players that could have been considered the best player in the game during the mid 80's, George Brett (MVP), Rickey Henderson (MVP 1990), Dale Murphy (who had 2 MVPs in the mid 80's), Tony Gwynn, Mike Schmidt (3x MVP in the 80's), Cal Ripken (MVP)...i don't think it is as much of an open and shut case that Mattingly was considered the best since he had far fewer MVPs than some of the guys on this list, no titles and several of these players are considered all-time greats (i.e. Schmidt and Henderson at a minimum). Thank you for your comment!
@@BBUYTTV Hernández undoubtedly has the edge of titles, but the Yankees never won inspite of Donnie. And honestly, even for a short period, Hernandez never was considered the best player in baseball. Mattingly, in various publications and ML player polls, was conserved the best overall hitter in baseball between 1984-1989. Please look it up. But great argument make baseball fun and both sides has great arguments. Thanks!
@@alexmadera7605 You make good points and I appreciate you sharing them. Honestly when we started putting this video together, I was firmly in the Mattingly camp, but was persuaded over time to the Hernandez side after doing a deep dive. They are both great players in my opinion and definitely HOF level. I will definitely take a look into the items you suggest. It's always great to have a spirited discussion like this. Thank you for watching and commenting.
I am 65 yrs old, and a layman baseball historian. In my opinion( and all these type questions are really not truly answerable definitively-ever) Keith Hernandez is a notch above Mattingly because of some smaller intangible things. Obviously Don Mattingly had a bit more Power for 4 consecutive seasons( 1984-1987), but he also played on some Offensively stacked NY Yankee teams with Dave Winfield/Ricky Henderson INSIDE a stadium BUILT for short LEFTY home runs. Mattingly also got to utilize his offensive strengths by having the DH spot to use. This afforded rest at times as well. As a league the American league scored more runs and Home runs as a league, almost always, because of the DH spot producing more runs scored for teams. The Yankees were a very offensive minded ( and weaker starting pitching) during Mattingly's big offensive 4 years. Mattingly only played in 150 games or more a season 6 times in his 14 years. Hernandez rang up 150 games a season for 9 years, and he never got credit for "playing" a game solely as a DH. Hernandez became a true tutor and mentor to young players as he learned that from Lou brock as he always points out. A couple of Mattingly's large offensive seasons were produced while the Yankees either were the Top offensive team in the entire American league and always in the top 3-4 slots. Hernandez's 1979 Co-MVP year( with D Parker), the Cardinals were only ranked 5th in the national league. Hernandez played on Carpet for half his career. A bit tougher defensively in my opinion because of the speed of the ball. I mean also, for all of Mattingly's Offensive numbers in those 4 short years, he only hit 61 more Hr's than Hernandez, and drove in only 36 more Rbi's than Hernandez. Hernandez actually made more errors, but fielded over 3000 more chances at 1b, and never rested at the DH spot, or had a short porch in his home stadium. I personally give the nod to Hernandez because of his ON THE FIELD team leadership skills and mentoring of young players, but also pitchers on the mound. Hernandez was an innovator defensively. Hernandez's TWO World series championships and League MVP along with 11 Gold glove seasons( in a row), edge out Mattingly's MVP, No Championships, and 9 gold gloves. They BOTH belong in the Hall of Fame over ridiculous guys like Scott Rolen!!! Don Mattingly AND Keith Hernandez both deserve to be in the HOF already, or at least get some serious reconsideration, based on the type of players they allowing in these days.
This is a great comment. I agree they both should receive some reconsideration for the HOF. In my mind they both are deserving. I lean towards Hernandez well. He just had an intangible quality that Mattingly didn’t have. Thank you for your comment!
@@BBUYTTV Thanks Mr. BBUYTTV. Here are couple other things to ponder on this question you raised: In Don Mattingly's 6 seasons of appearing in 150 or more games, in 3 of them ( 1989/1991/1992), Mattingly utilized the DH spot more than a 15 times in each of those seasons. If , you subtracted out those "games played", Don Mattingly only played in 150 or more games in a season only THREE(3) times. AND, One of Keith Hernandez's less than 150 game seasons was the Strike shortened 1981 season where he played in 103 games. BUT THAT WAS EVERY GAME OF THAT SEASON!! So counting that back IN, Hernandez actually played in over 150 games in a season( which breaks down into 93% of his teams games) TEN(10) seasons, to Mattingly's much smaller 3 seasons of playing in at least 93% of his teams games. The Durability over a career factor IMO. Playing ON the field for 9 innings defensively in each game that gets credited as "playing", has got to have a much higher burden upon you as a player and on your entire career. As people like to always say......."It is what it is"! TY
My former neighbor was an ex-big league pitcher, and he played with both. He told me that Hernandez was by far the better player. I disagreed with him vehemently.
That's interesting, so far most of the comments have been about a 60/40 split in favor of Hernandez. In all honesty when we were putting this video together I initially leaned towards Mattingly. After doing the research for the video I ended thinking Hernandez. Not at all where I expected to end up. That being said, I think both are HOF worthy and were great players. Thank you for your comment!
@BBUYTTV Mattingly was my favorite player growing up, and I am a Yankees fan, so I'm probably biased. However, there is no question that Hernandez was the most important player in helping the Mets turn their franchise around and become contenders and subsequently Champs in the latter half of the'80s. That being said, I still think Mattingly was better. 🤣
@@NYR11949 great comment. The fun thing about this topic is that everyone can have their own opinion and it has been really close based on the feedback. Both great players who command respect. Thank you for watching and thank you for your comment. We had a great time researching and putting this video together.
At peak you are probably right. Over the entire course of their careers, I am convinced it is a toss up or leans slighlty towards Hernandez. Both are great players though. Thank you for watching and thank you for your comment!
@@BBUYTTV The Twin Cities exploded after they won. In 87, the entire city was literally awash in Homer Hankies. Now our city is mired in a lengthy non-championship streak since 1991.
I don’t know that Mattingly led a downfall, but I do agree that Keith just had intangible qualities that he brought to the table. These leadership qualities were especially important on a talented young Mets team that I don’t think would have won the World Series without him. Thank you for the comment!
@@keilow1977 The Mets definitely had their problems but Keith helped keep them on the path to the championship. You can't deny that despite all of the problems off the field, Keith helped deliver two championships on two different teams.
Donnie Baseball ⚾️ No question! Pull up baseball reference stats and go down the list. Look for the numbers in italics. In 3 fewer years played he has superior stats and numbers throughout. In Mattinglys 1986 season where he was robbed by writers giving the MVP to a pitcher, Clemens, his numbers dwarf Hernandez’ best career numbers! Donnie won 9 Golden Gloves, and had Rawlings awarded the Platinum glove in their day, Mattingly would have dominated that award as well.
About as even as it gets…and both are HOF worthy
No doubt! One is a better fielder, the other is a better hitter. So evenly matched. I agree both HOF worthy. Thank you for the comment.
Add Olerud, conception, Kent, grace, cobra and dump walker, ivan, Baines and Raines
This was a great analysis. As a kid in the 80s, Don Mattingly was absolutely the man. Keith Hernandez may have ended up having the better overall career
Thank you for your kind words. I had the same thought going into making this video. I was sure Mattingly was the clear winner based on my memory as a kid. As I dug into it deeper for the research for this video my thoughts changed. It is really close but I think Keith has the slight edge. In my opinion both great players though. We really enjoyed making this video. Thank you for watching and thank you for your comment!
Mattingly...even to this day he's a legend among the baseball card collecting community.
Thank you for the comment!
I make sure mines is encased in glass, without a speck of dust
@@yell0wberry You have to keep those babies protected!
Keith Hernandez dated Elaine Benes.
He’s Keith Hernandez 😂
Don was the best player in baseball for almost 500 games. Cant say that about Keith, no matter how good his defense was. Mattingly won 9 gloves
It's debatable that Mattingly was the best for 500 games. There were some all-time players playing during that stretch like Rickey Henderson, Cal Ripken, George Brett and one that won more MVPs (i.e. Mike Schmidt - 3 MVPs). I would also say the measure is the entire career not just a period of time during the career. If you look at hitting statistics the numbers are pretty darn close. Thank you for engaging in the debate.
the man's nick-name was Donny Baseball... pretty sure that answer's the question right there lol
Not sure how that supports the argument but thank you for commenting!
@@BBUYTTV Keith’s nickname wasn’t Keithy Baseball… therefore not as iconic
@@dowpman1 Not really sure that is even relevant as to who was better...and Keith is definitely iconic. They are both iconic in my humble opinion, both great players.
Yeah, his nickname among Yankee fans. And George Costanza.
@@rickrose5377 ha!
Both should be I'm the HOF.
Totally agree!
Both were really good fielders, Hernandez was slightly better. Mattingly was a much better hitter though. Average, power, Mattingly was the best hitter in the American league from 1984-1988, Hernandez was a decent average hitter with very little power for a 1st baseman. Overall Mattingly was better, but Hernandez lasted longer.
Thank you for your opinion and thank you for watching!
Hernandez's OPS+ is 1 point above Mattingly's.
Mattingly was better, easy one
The comments have been split pretty evenly. I initially thought like you did as well...however once I did a deep dive into the topic researching for this video I came away thinking it was basically a toss up. Thank you for watching and thank you for the comment.
You can't hold a TEAMS lack of success against ONE single player! No SINGLE person has ever won a World Series! It makes me sick people hold this AGAINST Mattingly! You got 9 players on the field that ALL need to chip in! Mattingly was putting up incredible numbers. Individuals get voted into the HOF not TEAMS. For a stretch of time he was the BEST player in baseball!
Prompting umpires to tighten defensive positioning rules? Please explain. The catcher has a box and the pitcher has to keep a foot on the rubber, but, up until last year's ban on shifts, those are the only two positioning rules I know of.
The rule is that all players must be in fair territory when the ball is pitched excluding the catcher. Keith used to put his right foot on the bag and the left in foul territory on pick off plays and retreat at the last moment when the ball was pitched. This positioning caused umpires to pay closer attention and call it tighter to the actual rule. Thank you for the comment.
I had this argument growing up. I pick Hernandez biasly
It's been a pretty even split among the comments as to who is better. Thank you for sharing!
Hernandez was great no doubt, but Donnie Baseball has borderline HOF numbers, and in fact may make the hall via the vet committee. He was probably the best player for a span of 6 years from 84-89, most gold gloves for a first basemen in the AL, MVP in 85 and should won MVP in 86, has single season HR records for Grand Slams and consecutive HR games. Yes hes back injury in 1990 halved his power but he still hit for high average and he ended up with a .307 career BA.
Hernandez's numbers were as good as Mattingly's.
Mattingly at both ends
It's been split pretty evenly
Better all around player there's no arguement
@@Bruins-vq5ey Yes there is. Coming from a non-Mets and non-Yankees fan; it's a toss-up.
@@ron88303 a toss up maybe because Hernandez played much longer but didn't have the all around skill.of a mattingly...take em at their best... Donnie is better
Cool poster at the end
Hernandez, he actually shaved his sideburns.
Ha!
Mattingly hands down
Thank you for sharing. You are the first to name Mattingly. The two are so close, it’s a tough call.
True story, one season there was a game where Mattingly was up at the plate with Ken Kaiser as the umpire, the pitcher throws the ball to the catcher Ken ask Mattingly where the ball was , he tells him low and outside, and Ken Kaiser calls it a ball, now that’s absolute respect
@@yell0wberry I love it! Thank you for sharing the story. I have heard something similar about Wade Boggs as well.
Mark Grace.
Spoken like a true Cubs fan. I’ve heard a lot of interviews with him over the years. He is a funny guy
Hernandez Mattingly grace Kent Garvey olerud vizquel cobra all should of got in
I'm a Yankees fan so my vote is obvious. As far as the team success, The Mets had great pitching while the Yankees were medicore. Look at how well Mattingly played in his lone playoff. That was in his last season
Good points. Mattingly definitely played for some teams with mediocre pitching staffs. They weee both so good and to me it is a toss up. I had fun watching both play and in my opinion they are hall of fame players. Thank you for watching and thank you for the comment!
If you reversed roles then the mets would be world champions in 84 up until 1888 and keith hernandez wouldn't have any with those yankee teams. Both were great no doubt but Donnie baseball was given that nickname for a reason
He was given that name by NY media. They are basically a toss up. Just depends on whether you're a Mets fan or Yankees fan.
All I know is that Keith Hernandez was on Seinfeld
I love that episode!
True, but Mattingly was on the Simpsons
@@wizard1687 I love that episode too!
Everyons says how great of a fielder Hernandez was......Mattingly was so good defensively he played 1b, 3b,LF.CF,RF......
Mattingly was definitely a great field, but Hernandez may be the best ever at first base. Thank you for your comment!
@@BBUYTTV But Yes played one poistion....Mattingly was so good defensively he played 3B with the glove on the wrong hand,,How many 3rd basemen in the histoty of baseball have you seen with the glove on the right hand Mattingly career fielding pct.996 Hernadez .994....Msttingly 68 career errors Hernandez 115 career errors
@@frikster5176 It's a good point, but Mattingly rarely played other positions, not really a big enough sample size to say he was even good at the other positions. As for the fewer errors and fielding percentage, Mattingly played in 300+ fewer games than Hernandez, so I don't really see that as a strong argument. I totally think Mattingly is one of the best ever defensively to play first, I just feel like Hernandez was better and impacted the game more defensively though his aggressive play. You raise very good points though. Thank you for the good debate!
Mattingly played the outfield alot early in his career
@@Bruins-vq5ey Less than 10% of the total games that he played in his career so not really a lot
1986 World series game 6 is possibly one of the greatest games in World series history. Definitely top 5. But in my opinion the 88 Mets were a better team and should have won in 88 too. As a Mets fan I have been saying maybe next year for 37 years
Definitely one of the best games ever. I think you might be right about the 88 Mets, they really should have won it that year. Thank you for watching and thank you for the comment!
I’m Keith Hernandez 😂😂
I love it! Classic line. Keith was great in that episode
@@BBUYTTV one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes
@@Lost_Soul7711 Me too...probably have seen it 100 times 😂😂
It's pretty close. Maybe a toss-up. Pretty much boils down to if you're a Mets fan or Yankees fan.
@@ron88303 exactly…or the team you can’t stand. Thank you for your comment
As someone who lived in the 1980's (granted yes I am a Mets fan) but Keith was so much better.
I grew up during that time and I initially thought Mattingly based on my memory. However, when we did the research for the video I came to the conclusion that it slightly leaned towards Hernandez or at worst a toss up. The feedback has been roughly 60/40 in favor of Hernandez so far. In my opinion both were great players. Thank you for watching and thank you for the comment!
I have been following MLB for over 65 years. Keith Hernandez was the best defensive first baseman I ever saw.
He was a game changer at first for sure. A rarity for a position where defense is more of an afterthought. Thank you for watching and thank you for the comment!
Next to mattingly
@@Bruins-vq5ey No way that opinion holds any water. Keith is probably the best defensive first baseman ever. At a minimum he has more gold gloves than Mattingly
@@BBUYTTV gold gloves are opinion based also..voting has always been suspicious with writers favouring certain players.
Also mattingly has no pressure either playing under a microscope that is the NYY...
He never wavered..
More gold gloves? He played longer..
Donnie has back issues for over half his career
@@Bruins-vq5ey Sure if that helps you sleep at night. The consensus opinion in baseball is that Hernandez was the superior first basemen. Not saying Mattingly wasn't a great first baseman, just not as good defensively as Keith.
Before I give my decision, I probably have to be a bit biased and say that there is not a player on this earth, who wears a baseball uniform that I like more than Mattingly. There’s not many human beings I’ve seen on a baseball field, make the plays that Keith Hernandez has made. But I will say there is this one play in particular where Mattingly was running down the right field line and made a catch over his shoulder, and in one action, Threw a dead strike to the catcher at home plate to nab the runner trying to tag up. While Keith Hernandez was a very good hitter, mattingly was just magic with the bat. And while Mattingly is still in the league as a coach, Keith Hernandez, along with Ron Darling and Gary Cohen are the absolute best broadcasting trio ever. So with everything said, I call a draw. And I absolutely demand that both men go to the baseball Hall of Fame.
I agree with you it is pretty close to a toss up between the two...and I also think these guys belong in the hall of fame. Thank you for watching and thank you for the comment!
Advantage Hernandez, he hit a home run on seinfeld😂
Ha! He's Keith Hernandez 😀
Donny baseball. Keith a slight edge in defense (both were elite), but that only gets you so far. And Mattingly should have been MVP in ‘86 for his 2nd in a row.
Definitely a valid opinion. How about the lack of postseason appearances by Mattingly...even though some of those Yankee lineups were stacked?
@@BBUYTTV Pitching. they had no ace (an old Guidry was their ace), and trotted out old Niekros and other sub average pitching. Bullpen was average. Can’t fault Mattingly for that. Mets had Gooden, Darling, Ojeda, Fernandez, etc and a much better bullpen than the Yankees did.
I’d also add Steinbrenner wasn’t banned like he was in ‘90’s and some in ‘70’s. He was hair triggered and made many bad short term moves especially after 1981 World Series loss.
@@dougnewman3935 While I agree that you can't fault Mattingly for that, other teams were able to overcome average pitching staffs. In fact, the 82 Cardinal team Hernandez was on that won the world series had what I would call a barely average pitching staff...the starters were all journeyman and Bruce Sutter would be the only pitcher that would be considered great...but he only pitched an inning or two every few games. So despite a less than stellar pitching staff and a weaker lineup than Mattingly played with in many years, Hernandez was able to lead his team to a championship. As for the Mets, you are correct they just had superior talent. Just my opinion. Thanks!
@@BBUYTTV i think you’re underestimating’82 Cardinals pitching. Andujar, Forsch and LaPoint pitched 650 innings and were a combined 39-22 with about a combined 3 ERA. that’s a quality 3. Doug Blair almost logged 100 innings with a 2.55 era and finished 5-3. team era was 3.37. that’s not bad. closest yankees got in mattingly’s prime was ‘85 and they won 97 games…Cardinals were able to clinch division with 92 games in ‘82. Baseball isn’t basketball there are so many factors at work. All Mattingly did in 1985 was win gold glove and MVP with .324 and 35 HR 48 2B and 145 RBI. it’s not his fault pitching wasn’t there and his catcher batted .223 his SS .218 his 3B .239 and his DH .231. Steinbrenner made dumb decisions. Playoffs in old division winner takes all play has to be considered differently.
@@dougnewman3935 very good points! Thank you for sharing
both belong in the Hall
@@pje8462 they both have a good case!
Is this a joke? Hernandez was a solid player but not at the level of Mattingly. In the mid 80s, Mattingly was considered the best player in MLB. That says it all
Hernandez held that title as well in 1979 as the MVP of the National League...plus Mattingly was good for a much shorter period of time. Additionally Mattingly never had a title on some pretty stacked Yankees team (Hernandez had 2 as a key leader on each team). I would also argue that there were several other players that could have been considered the best player in the game during the mid 80's, George Brett (MVP), Rickey Henderson (MVP 1990), Dale Murphy (who had 2 MVPs in the mid 80's), Tony Gwynn, Mike Schmidt (3x MVP in the 80's), Cal Ripken (MVP)...i don't think it is as much of an open and shut case that Mattingly was considered the best since he had far fewer MVPs than some of the guys on this list, no titles and several of these players are considered all-time greats (i.e. Schmidt and Henderson at a minimum). Thank you for your comment!
@@BBUYTTV Hernández undoubtedly has the edge of titles, but the Yankees never won inspite of Donnie. And honestly, even for a short period, Hernandez never was considered the best player in baseball. Mattingly, in various publications and ML player polls, was conserved the best overall hitter in baseball between 1984-1989. Please look it up. But great argument make baseball fun and both sides has great arguments. Thanks!
@@alexmadera7605 You make good points and I appreciate you sharing them. Honestly when we started putting this video together, I was firmly in the Mattingly camp, but was persuaded over time to the Hernandez side after doing a deep dive. They are both great players in my opinion and definitely HOF level. I will definitely take a look into the items you suggest. It's always great to have a spirited discussion like this. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Mattingly had a HOF stretch for 6 years, and he was certainly the MVP in 1986.
@@joseburgos9654 no doubt about that!
"Mattingly I won't tell you again, get those sideburns cut" Still like him better than steinbrenner 😅😅😅
I love that episode! Classic! Thank you for watching and thank you for your comment.
@@BBUYTTV Best wishes from merry old England.Is the wizard still in the 4th dimension 🤣🤣🤣
This is easy. Mattingly was far superior offensively and being second to only Keith at first base means that he was the better overall player.
He wasn't far superior offensively at all; they were approximately same. Pretty much comes down to if you're a Mets fan or Yankees fan.
I am 65 yrs old, and a layman baseball historian. In my opinion( and all these type questions are really not truly answerable definitively-ever) Keith Hernandez is a notch above Mattingly because of some smaller intangible things. Obviously Don Mattingly had a bit more Power for 4 consecutive seasons( 1984-1987), but he also played on some Offensively stacked NY Yankee teams with Dave Winfield/Ricky Henderson INSIDE a stadium BUILT for short LEFTY home runs. Mattingly also got to utilize his offensive strengths by having the DH spot to use. This afforded rest at times as well. As a league the American league scored more runs and Home runs as a league, almost always, because of the DH spot producing more runs scored for teams. The Yankees were a very offensive minded ( and weaker starting pitching) during Mattingly's big offensive 4 years. Mattingly only played in 150 games or more a season 6 times in his 14 years. Hernandez rang up 150 games a season for 9 years, and he never got credit for "playing" a game solely as a DH. Hernandez became a true tutor and mentor to young players as he learned that from Lou brock as he always points out. A couple of Mattingly's large offensive seasons were produced while the Yankees either were the Top offensive team in the entire American league and always in the top 3-4 slots. Hernandez's 1979 Co-MVP year( with D Parker), the Cardinals were only ranked 5th in the national league. Hernandez played on Carpet for half his career. A bit tougher defensively in my opinion because of the speed of the ball. I mean also, for all of Mattingly's Offensive numbers in those 4 short years, he only hit 61 more Hr's than Hernandez, and drove in only 36 more Rbi's than Hernandez. Hernandez actually made more errors, but fielded over 3000 more chances at 1b, and never rested at the DH spot, or had a short porch in his home stadium. I personally give the nod to Hernandez because of his ON THE FIELD team leadership skills and mentoring of young players, but also pitchers on the mound. Hernandez was an innovator defensively. Hernandez's TWO World series championships and League MVP along with 11 Gold glove seasons( in a row), edge out Mattingly's MVP, No Championships, and 9 gold gloves.
They BOTH belong in the Hall of Fame over ridiculous guys like Scott Rolen!!! Don Mattingly AND Keith Hernandez both deserve to be in the HOF already, or at least get some serious reconsideration, based on the type of players they allowing in these days.
This is a great comment. I agree they both should receive some reconsideration for the HOF. In my mind they both are deserving. I lean towards Hernandez well. He just had an intangible quality that Mattingly didn’t have. Thank you for your comment!
@@BBUYTTV Thanks Mr. BBUYTTV. Here are couple other things to ponder on this question you raised: In Don Mattingly's 6 seasons of appearing in 150 or more games, in 3 of them ( 1989/1991/1992), Mattingly utilized the DH spot more than a 15 times in each of those seasons. If , you subtracted out those "games played", Don Mattingly only played in 150 or more games in a season only THREE(3) times. AND, One of Keith Hernandez's less than 150 game seasons was the Strike shortened 1981 season where he played in 103 games. BUT THAT WAS EVERY GAME OF THAT SEASON!! So counting that back IN, Hernandez actually played in over 150 games in a season( which breaks down into 93% of his teams games) TEN(10) seasons, to Mattingly's much smaller 3 seasons of playing in at least 93% of his teams games. The Durability over a career factor IMO. Playing ON the field for 9 innings defensively in each game that gets credited as "playing", has got to have a much higher burden upon you as a player and on your entire career. As people like to always say......."It is what it is"! TY
@@docschweitz7606 thank you for sharing this. I agree. Being on the field and available is a significant factor to consider.
My former neighbor was an ex-big league pitcher, and he played with both. He told me that Hernandez was by far the better player. I disagreed with him vehemently.
That's interesting, so far most of the comments have been about a 60/40 split in favor of Hernandez. In all honesty when we were putting this video together I initially leaned towards Mattingly. After doing the research for the video I ended thinking Hernandez. Not at all where I expected to end up. That being said, I think both are HOF worthy and were great players. Thank you for your comment!
@BBUYTTV Mattingly was my favorite player growing up, and I am a Yankees fan, so I'm probably biased. However, there is no question that Hernandez was the most important player in helping the Mets turn their franchise around and become contenders and subsequently Champs in the latter half of the'80s. That being said, I still think Mattingly was better. 🤣
@@NYR11949 great comment. The fun thing about this topic is that everyone can have their own opinion and it has been really close based on the feedback. Both great players who command respect. Thank you for watching and thank you for your comment. We had a great time researching and putting this video together.
Both had great careers, but at their peak? Donnie Baseball waz better.
At peak you are probably right. Over the entire course of their careers, I am convinced it is a toss up or leans slighlty towards Hernandez. Both are great players though. Thank you for watching and thank you for your comment!
MAttingly
Maybe…it’s a close call
@@BBUYTTVbased on Mattingly was able to hit for power Hernandez didnt
Mattingly cause of the power numbers
@@Salvatore1268 he definitely stronger in that category.
Hrbek was my guy
I like Hrbek! Those Twins teams were fun!
@@BBUYTTV The Twin Cities exploded after they won. In 87, the entire city was literally awash in Homer Hankies. Now our city is mired in a lengthy non-championship streak since 1991.
@@bemhibbits4157 I remember the Homer Hanky. That was a fun year to watch. The Twin Cities are definitely on a cold streak. Thanks!
Prowess.
Dony baseball vs Cokehead Hernandez.
this AI voice sux!
Mattingly led the downfall of a dynasty. Keith brought a winning culture and leadership to his team that culminated in a championship. No contest.
I don’t know that Mattingly led a downfall, but I do agree that Keith just had intangible qualities that he brought to the table. These leadership qualities were especially important on a talented young Mets team that I don’t think would have won the World Series without him. Thank you for the comment!
Led to downfall wow, not sure but wasn't Keith and half the team on coke?! Some leadership!
@@keilow1977 The Mets definitely had their problems but Keith helped keep them on the path to the championship. You can't deny that despite all of the problems off the field, Keith helped deliver two championships on two different teams.
@@keilow1977Keith was tested 2X a week after the '85 Pittsburgh Drug trials.
Definitely Mattingly all around the best fielder is hernandez
Thank your for the comment. It seems to be about 50/50 in the comments.
Donnie Baseball ⚾️ No question! Pull up baseball reference stats and go down the list. Look for the numbers in italics. In 3 fewer years played he has superior stats and numbers throughout. In Mattinglys 1986 season where he was robbed by writers giving the MVP to a pitcher, Clemens, his numbers dwarf Hernandez’ best career numbers! Donnie won 9 Golden Gloves, and had Rawlings awarded the Platinum glove in their day, Mattingly would have dominated that award as well.
No. Overall they were the same. Obviously a Yankees fan, but that's fine.
Hernandez massively under rated
Mattingly massively over rated
The comments have been split pretty evenly. Thank you for your comment!
Obviously, you haven’t watched Mattingly play.