New York Yankees: Five candidates to replace Joe Girardi as manager

Don Mattingly

I don’t think Don Mattingly needs any introduction. In short, he is a beloved figure in Yankee lore. As a man who appears on the short list of Yankee captains, Mattingly was dominant at first base and at the plate. Unfortunately his dominance was curtailed a bit thanks to his back injury but he was always a force to be reckoned with. There is a reason that his standing ovations on Old Timer’s Day were among the loudest.

He has been a fine manager as well. He was on Joe Torre’s staff and was a candidate for the job that Girardi ultimately landed. As manager of the Dodgers, Mattingly led his team to three straight division titles and a .551 winning percentage over five seasons. A poor clubhouse kept them down a bit, but that is a solid winning percentage. Don’t forget that there hasn’t been much in Miami and he still led them to a .483 winning percentage in his first two seasons.

Next: It was time to move on from Girardi

Now it’s no guarantee that Mattingly will even be an option. He is under contract with the Marlins. But he could go. If he is gone the Yankees would be smart to make that call. He would be an excellent choice.