Former New York Yankees standout and major league manager Don Mattingly has been hired as an adviser for the MLB expansion-hopeful Nashville Stars, USA Today reported Monday.
According to the report, Mattingly will remain in his new position as the Toronto Blue Jays’ bench coach.
Mattingly, 61, will join an advisory group led by former major league pitcher Dave Stewart, with speculation that the Nashville-based organization, named after the former Negro League club, could be in the running to become an MLB expansion franchise in the future.
Stewart is part of a diverse ownership group leading the bid for an expansion team. MLB most recently had expansion in 1993 with the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins, now the Miami Marlins.
“The approach that Dave Stewart and his team have in Nashville is exactly what the game of baseball needs,” Mattingly said in a statement. “I am glad to see MLB taking an active approach on these important issues. We need more diversity in the game, and it starts from the top-down.”
Mattingly was a career. 307 hitter, with 222 home runs and 1,099 RBIs over 14 seasons with the Yankees. He was a six-time All-Star and American League MVP in 1985 and played in just one playoff series for the storied franchise, in his final season of 1995.
The Indiana native moved on to become manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2011-15 and the Marlins from 2016-2022. He was 889-950 in his 12 seasons as a manager.
–Field Level Media