Good news Scuds
The Dodgers made what looked like a questionable pick at the time by taking Mattingly in the supplemental part of last year’s first round, but after an impressive showing in the Gulf Coast League last summer, as decisions go, it seemed sound. The spitting image of his father Don (plus three inches and 20 pounds), Mattingly got off to a horrible start in his pro debut, sitting at just .192/.241/.273 in mid-May. Drafted as a shortstop, but given no shot by scouts to stay there, the organization felt that Mattingly’s defensive struggles--including an incredibly awful .773 fielding percentage--were affecting him at the plate. They moved him over to second base, and not only has Mattingly made just four errors since moving to the other side of the bag, but he’s hit .349/.379/.578 since the move, now sitting at a respectable .265/.300/.400 and rising. Even at second base he’s fringy with the glove, and most see him as a left fielder in the end, but the bat is back.
|