Preston

Mattingly

Don’s son was something of a reach at No. 31, but he wasn’t going to be around by the time the Dodgers picked next at No. 113. Since he’s expected to slide to the other end of the defensive spectrum, his bat might not make him a major league regular.

Mattingly, a shortstop, is Yankee great Don’s son. He was given a $1 million dollar signing bonus.

Mattingly, a 2006 supplemental first-round pick, is batting .297/.328/.412 with 12 steals in 182 at-bats.

Mattingly was in camp with the Yankees’ Double-A team this spring after signing a minor league deal with the club in January, but he’ll now have to seek an opportunity elsewhere. The 2006 first-round pick owns a disappointing .232/.276/.335 batting line in pro ball.

Mattingly, a 2006 first-round pick, was re-signed by the Dodgers last year after being dumped by the Indians following spring training. The 24-year-old batted .232/.281/.354 with five home runs, 19 RBI and a .635 OPS over 179 plate appearances between Class A Great Lakes and High-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2011. Don’s son has a .236 batting average over parts of six seasons in the minors and will simply function as organizational depth.

Mattingly, who was never expected to last at shortstop, has been playing second base for about a week now. He’ll probably spend the rest of the year there, but the fear is that he’ll eventually end up at first base or an outfield corner and he may not have the bat to make it at one of those spots. He’s currently hitting .179/.222/.248 in the Midwest League.

Mattingly entered with just six extra-base hits in 33 games this season. He raised his average from .190 to .206 with the big game.

Don’s son was hitting .250/.273/.388 in 160 at-bats in the Midwest League before going down.

Mattingly, who hit just .210/.251/.297 in 404 at-bats for Great Lakes last season, is playing even worse so far this year. He’s currently sporting a 172/33 K/BB ratio in 633 at-bats as a pro, and it’s not like he makes up for it with power or defense. It looks like he was a pretty extreme overdraft when the Dodgers took him 31st overall in 2006.

Mattingly was decent in the GCL after being drafted 31st overall in 2006, hitting .290/.322/.403. He is likely to hit eventually, but he might not be quite ready for full-season ball just yet. Since there’s little chance of him staying at shortstop, he’s going to have to turn into a quality hitter to reach the majors.