'Robert James "Bobby" Mattick' (
December 5,
1915 -
December 16,
2004) was a
shortstop,
manager and
scout in
Major League Baseball, most notably in the
Toronto Blue Jays organization.
Born in
Sioux City, Iowa, Mattick was the son of
outfielder Wally Mattick, who played for the
Chicago White Sox in
1912 and
1913 and the
St. Louis Cardinals in
1918. Bobby played only one season as a regular with the
Chicago Cubs in
1940, although he played for the Cubs from
1938 to
1940 and the
Cincinnati Reds in
1941 and
1942. Hampered in
1936 by a
foul ball which cracked his skull above his right eye and caused
double vision, he was a career .233 hitter with no
home runs and 64
RBIs in 206 games.
Mattick began his managerial career in the
Southern League in
1944 and
1945. From
1946 to
1978, Mattick worked for nine different
baseball organizations including the
Montreal Expos. He was credited by some baseball personnels as an incomparable longtime scout and player development specialist, signing such stars as
Frank Robinson,
Vada Pinson,
Curt Flood,
Rusty Staub,
Don Baylor, and
Gary Carter. One of the Blue Jays' original employees in its inaugural season, Bobby first joined the team in
1976 as the scouting supervisor, and helped draft the expansion Blue Jays. In
1978 Mattick was appointed the director of player development.
1980 saw him take over the role of manager from
Roy Hartsfield, the Blue Jays' original manager, becoming the oldest rookie manager to start a season at 64. The 1981 season was interrupted by a player strike, and the Jays improved their winning percentage in 1981 but still finished in last place in the
American League East Division in both halves of the season.
Following the 1981 season and a 104-164 career record during his two-year tenure as manager, he continued to work in the Jays' organization as executive co-ordinator of baseball operations before his promotion to vice president of baseball in
1984. Mattick played a key administrative role in scouting and development, leading to the Blue Jays' five AL East Division championships, and
World Series crowns in
1992 and
1993.
Mattick was inducted into the
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in
1999, and the club renamed its
spring training complex The
Bobby Mattick Training Center in
2007. He was part of the Blue Jays' delegation at the
2004 Major League Baseball winter meetings in
Anaheim, California.
According to the information from the Blue Jays
[1], Mattick died 11 days after his 89th birthday after suffering a
stroke at his
Scottsdale, Arizona home. Mattick's wife Jackie died about two years previously. They had no children.
Managerial record
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season |
|---|
| ! Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOR | 1980 | 67 | 95 | .414 | '7th in AL East | - | - | - | - |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOR | 1981 | 37 | 69 | .349 | '7th in AL East(1st Half) '7th in AL East(2nd Half)' | - | - | - | - |
|---|
| Total | 104 | 164 | .388 | | - | - | - | - |
|---|
See also
★
List of second generation MLB players
External link
★