Phillies hope former MVP Don Mattingly can help star-studded roster as bench coach

Don Mattingly was one of the biggest names in baseball during his days as a player. The Phillies hope his experience as a Yankees icon and one of the most respected figures in the game can help their star-studded roster in his new position.

The Phillies hired Mattingly as their bench coach, the club announced Monday, filling the last open spot on the major-league coaching staff. Mattingly previously held the same position with the Toronto Blue Jays for the past three seasons.

“It’s interesting,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said via Zoom, “because (president of baseball operations) Dave (Dombrowski) and I have been talking about hiring a guy like Donnie with that type of pedigree, because, as great as our staff is, we don’t have that guy that’s been a star in the big leagues. He should be in the Hall of Fame, as far as I’m concerned. And I think when it came to me that there was a possibility that Donnie was going to be available, I said, ‘This is the perfect guy.'”

Mattingly, 64, played 14 seasons in New York, becoming the Yankees captain in 1991. He batted .307 for his career, made six All-Star teams, won nine Gold Glove Awards at first base and was the 1985 American League MVP. His No. 23 is retired by the Yankees.

After his playing career, Mattingly went on to coach in New York, where he worked with Thomson and current Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long. He then coached and managed the Dodgers before a stint as manager in Miami, where he worked with current Phillies assistant hitting coach Edwar Gonzalez. Mattingly then joined the Blue Jays staff ahead of the 2023 season.

“I know the integrity,” Thomson said. “I know the knowledge. I know how detailed he is, and plus, I think he’s a great sounding board for our players and our stars, because he’s been there and he’s done all these things, and the rest of us really can’t answer to that. So this is a huge deal. I’m so excited to have Donnie.”

In addition to succeeding as a popular player in a scrutinized sports market like New York, Mattingly has coached and managed a number of high-profile players. He coached the Yankees Core Four of Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte along with Alex Rodriguez. He was around players like Clayton Kershaw and Adrián González in Los Angeles and Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in Toronto.

With the Phillies, Mattingly will join a clubhouse with All-Stars like two-time National League MVP Bryce Harper, slugger Kyle Schwarber, shortstop Trea Turner and ace pitchers Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez (with the possibility of catcher J.T. Realmuto returning in free agency as well). The idea is that he’ll be able to provide guidance and support from a perspective to which they can relate.

“The one thing I’ve tried to always do is never forget how hard the game is,” Mattingly said. “I know guys make a lot of money and we expect them to come through all the time, and it’s just not that way. So I try to never forget my past as a player. People will say to you, ‘Oh, you never struggled.’ I’m like, ‘I struggled plenty, right?’ Everybody struggles, and I think that’s what you always bring to the situation. So that’s what I feel like I bring.”

While Mattingly managed pitcher Jesús Luzardo with the Marlins, he does not have much of a personal connection with the rest of the roster, saying he’s excited to start meeting the players and getting to know them. Mattingly did, however, mention that he’s spoken with Harper on occasion, including at the 2017 All-Star Game in Miami. He said he enjoys being around players like Harper, someone he described as a future first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Harper had a productive season in 2025, but his numbers were down for his standards. In October, Dombrowski questioned whether or not Harper can return to “elite” status again in the future, while Thomson opined that Harper will be “highly motivated” to bounce back with a career year in 2026.

Mattingly said he’d be interested in talking about first-base defense or hitting with Harper and learning more about the game from the player, but he knows building and establishing relationships with all the players will be crucial in determining how the conversations throughout the roster will go. He acknowledged that one wrinkle about his hiring will make it all the more important to create trust with the players.

Mattingly’s oldest son, Preston, is Philadelphia’s general manager. Working with Preston was a very appealing aspect of the job for Mattingly, but the dynamic could also create some potential challenges. Mattingly said he’ll work hard to avoid any issues for his son and ensure that the players feel confident that what they share with their new bench coach or do in the clubhouse won’t be immediately relayed to the front office.

“I don’t want this to be a negative in any way for him,” Mattingly said of Preston. “I’m very protective of the locker-room relationship with players. They have to be able to trust that I’m not a voice that’s just running upstairs and talking about anything and everything. That’s just not the way I operate. I came from a different era where that is not something that happens.”

Thomson said he put together a list of possible candidates when the Phillies decided to move Mike Calitri to field coordinator and add an external bench coach to the staff, but he only spoke to Mattingly during the hiring process. Mattingly said he thought about stepping away from the dugout after the 2025 season, but Philadelphia’s pursuit, the opportunity with Preston and some convincing from his 11-year-old son, Louis, helped nudge him toward another stop in the big leagues.

The former star, who said he does not have the energy or desire to manage in the majors again, committed to “a couple of years” on Thomson’s staff and will be there to assist the manager and the players as this Phillies group aims to reach its goal of a World Series championship.

“I’m just excited about kind of meeting all the guys and really just being a part of helping this thing hopefully be a touch better than it was last year,” Mattingly said. “Obviously, a great club, but there’s going to be one team that wins it all, and everybody else is going to have a crash landing at some point. Hopefully we don’t have a crash landing and we’re able to be the team that wins our last game. And really, that’s the way I look at it.”