Newsday: Mattingly will replace Mazz as Bench Coach

by anaconda on Oct 26, 2006 11:51 PM EDT

In a move that certainly appears to be the next organizational step in succeeding Joe Torre as manager of the New York Yankees, Jim Baumbach of Newsday is reporting that Don Mattingly will be named Bench Coach for the 2007 season, replacing Lee Mazzilli.

Yankees beat:

Don Mattingly will replace Lee Mazzilli as Yankees bench coach, people with knowledge of the situation told Newsday today.

The promotion brings Mattingly one important step closer to the manager's seat and solidifies him as the favorite to be Joe Torre's successor. Torre's contract expires after next season.

Mazzilli's run as Yankees bench coach ends after only one season. He was the Yankees first-base coach from 2000-03 before spending a season and a half as the Baltimore Orioles manager.

General manager Brian Cashman, who spent a second consecutive day in meetings with his professional scouts at Yankee Stadium, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Mattingly joined the Yankees coaching staff in 2004 as their hitting coach, a job he's held for three straight seasons, after spending the previous eight years with his family in Indiana.

No word yet on who will replace Mattingly as hitting-instructor or whether Mazzilli has been offered another position within the organization.

Tweet Comment 6 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Should

have happened a year earlier. Another year of Torre playing "his people".

by ReLaunch on Oct 27, 2006 7:43 AM EDT reply actions

Dunno about this one

From what I can gather, except for AROD, Mattingly worked some magic as a hitting coach.
To me that is one area that doesn't need tweaking... unless they bring in Jaramillo or someone who can unlock AROD's frozen assets.

by Ronster22 on Oct 27, 2006 8:21 AM EDT reply actions

Replacements for Donnie

Looks like AAA hitting coach Kevin Long is the frontrunner? He has never coached or played in the majors. Buster Olney threw out Chili Davis' name too. I have heard rumblings about him for years and I would prefer him especially since he knows most of the players already.

Fear the Evil Empire

by pfistyunc on Oct 27, 2006 11:55 AM EDT reply actions