Robert James Mattick (December 5, 1915 – December 16, 2004) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

player,

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

, and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) as a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. After his playing career, he most notably worked in the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

organization, including two seasons as the team's manager.

Playing career

Born in

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

, Mattick was the son of

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

Wally Mattick, who played for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

in 1912 and 1913 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1918. Bobby played only one season as a regular with the

in 1940, although he played for the Cubs from 1938 to 1940 and the

in 1941 and 1942. Hampered in 1936 by a

foul ball In baseball, a foul ball is a batted ball that: * Settles on foul territory between home and first base or between home and third base, or * Bounces and then goes past first or third base on or over foul territory, or * Has its first bounce occu ...

which cracked his skull above his right eye and caused double vision, he was a career .233 hitter with no

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 64 RBIs in 206 games.

Post-playing career

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 as a

for the Reds,

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

and

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

. He was credited by some baseball personnel as an incomparable longtime scout and player development specialist, signing such stars as Frank Robinson,

Vada Pinson Vada Edward Pinson Jr. (August 11, 1938 – October 21, 1995) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played as a center fielder in Major League Baseball for 18 years (1958–1975), most notably for the Cincinnati Reds, for who ...

, Curt Flood, Rusty Staub,

Don Baylor Don Edward Baylor (June 28, 1949 – August 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball player and manager. During his 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), Baylor was a power hitter known for standing very close to home plate (" crowding ...

, and

Gary Carter Gary Edmund Carter (April 8, 1954 – February 16, 2012) was an American professional baseball catcher whose 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career was spent primarily with the Montreal Expos and New York Mets. Nicknamed "the Kid" for his y ...

. One of the Blue Jays' original employees in its inaugural season, Bobby 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 Roy Thomas Hartsfield (October 25, 1925 – January 15, 2011) was a second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball; his MLB playing and managing careers each lasted three years. Hartsfield played his entire major league career with the Bo ...

, the Blue Jays' original manager, becoming the oldest rookie manager to start a season at 64. Mattick turned down the job several times before finally accepting; he had initially wanted to manage the team only if he could wear his regular business clothing while in the dugout, rather than a uniform. This would have made him the first manager to not wear a uniform since Connie Mack retired in the early 1950s, but the Blue Jays insisted that Mattick wear a uniform. The Blue Jays had their best season of their young existence in 1980, missing the 100-loss mark for the first time and finishing at 67–95. The following season was interrupted by the

1981 MLB strike The 1981 Major League Baseball strike was the first work stoppage in Major League Baseball since the 1972 Major League Baseball strike that resulted in regular season games being cancelled. Overall, it was the fourth work stoppage since 1972, but ...

, and the Blue Jays improved their winning percentage but still finished in last place in the American League East division in both halves of the season. Mattick was offered the opportunity to continue managing the Blue Jays for a third season, but elected to step down. Following the 1981 season and a 104–164 career record during his two-year tenure as manager, Mattick continued to work in the 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 The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

crowns in and . Mattick was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999, and the club renamed its

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

complex the Bobby Mattick Training Center at

Englebert Complex The Bobby Mattick Training Center at Englebert Complex is a sports facility owned by the City of Dunedin, Florida. It is used primarily by the Toronto Blue Jays as a practice facility, and is home to their Rookie league affiliate, the Gulf Coast L ...

in 2003. He was part of the Blue Jays' delegation at the 2004 Winter Meetings in

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

. Mattick died 11 days after his 89th birthday after suffering a stroke at his

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

, home.ESPN – Mattick managed Toronto in 1980, '81 – MLB
/ref> Mattick's wife Jackie had died about two years previously. They had no children.

Managerial record

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mattick, Bobby 1915 births 2004 deaths American expatriate baseball people in Canada Baltimore Orioles scouts Baseball players from Iowa Birmingham Barons players Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Chicago Cubs players Chicago White Sox scouts Cincinnati Reds players Cleveland Indians scouts Cincinnati Reds scouts Houston Astros scouts Indianapolis Indians players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Major League Baseball scouts Major League Baseball shortstops Milwaukee Brewers scouts Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Minor league baseball managers Montreal Expos scouts New York Yankees scouts Seattle Pilots scouts Syracuse Chiefs players Toronto Blue Jays executives Toronto Blue Jays managers Toronto Blue Jays scouts

Playing career

Post-playing career

Managerial record

See also

References

External links