If you told a time traveler from 1989 that Don Mattingly — all-caps DON MATTINGLY — was struggling to attain election to the Baseball Hall of Fame, their eyes would cross as they keeled over. Mattingly wasn't just the game's top first baseman six years running. He was a New York Yankee. He was humble. He was born and bred to be corn-fed in the spotlight. He was a central figure in nearly every, "Who ya got?" argument. He was the game's most mimicked batting stance, and the baseball player on the most posters.
Surely, anyone alive in 1989 would've assumed that all Mattingly had to do to get to Cooperstown was survive the minimum 10 years in the big leagues, healthy and somewhat productive.