Agreed. I have him as the best first baseman in the league in 1986 and 1987. As you mention, outside of those years, Mattingly's '84 and '85 are strong, but Eddie Murray was still the best first baseman during those seasons. The true greats tend to stand above their positional peers for a longer stretch than 2 years, unless a legend's career overlaps. That's not the case with Mattingly. His 1B contemporaries in the '80s (Eddie Murray, Will Clark, Keith Hernandez) were all great players, but not exactly legends. I would argue Mattingly's career ranks behind all three of those guys.
Agreed. I have him as the best first baseman in the league in 1986 and 1987. As you mention, outside of those years, Mattingly's '84 and '85 are strong, but Eddie Murray was still the best first baseman during those seasons. The true greats tend to stand above their positional peers for a longer stretch than 2 years, unless a legend's career overlaps. That's not the case with Mattingly. His 1B contemporaries in the '80s (Eddie Murray, Will Clark, Keith Hernandez) were all great players, but not exactly legends. I would argue Mattingly's career ranks behind all three of those guys.