Tampa - They are inextricably linked. No matter what Tino Martinez does as a Yankee, he will always be The Man Who Replaced Don Mattingly.

The chance meetings the two had when the Mariners stopped by the Bronx or the Yankees visited the Kingdome were the only times Martinez brushed up against the club's stoic leader. Martinez admired the man then, and didn't feel comfortable treading on his turf.

"I talked to him on the field and he was pretty much taking care of business," Martinez said. "I didn't want to bother him. I didn't want to take away from his daily routine."

Through no fault of his own, Martinez ended up taking Mattingly's job. It just so happens there was a vacancy after Mattingly stepped aside in November, choosing to spurn free agency for retirement. After a disappointing season, one in which the captain managed only seven home runs and 49 RBI, Mattingly decided to spare the club the indignity of letting him walk. So he took the steps himself.

While Mattingly is home in Evansville, Ind., Martinez is in pinstripes fielding ground balls at the position Mattingly occupied for the past 13 years. Martinez is a lefthanded hitter just like Mattingly but he cuts a larger profile than his predecessor, standing at least two inches taller and 10 pounds heavier. However, the line drives that slice through the infield now at Legends Field are reminiscent of an earlier era, when Mattingly did the same more than 10 years ago in Fort Lauderdale and then went on to his second straight season of 30-plus home runs and 100-plus RBI.

Those kinds of numbers are expected of the 28-year-old Martinez this season, which helps explain why the Yankees signed him to a five-year, $20-million contract Dec. 7. Some criticized the long-term deal as premature, believing that Martinez is unproven despite a career season in 1995. He hit .293 with 31 home runs and 111 RBI last year, numbers that are similar to the totals Mattingly regularly posted before chronic back problems chipped away at his production.

"Tino Martinez is very much a key to this ballclub," owner George Steinbrenner said this past week. "He didn't run Don Mattingly out. He came in when Don Mattingly didn't want to return. They're going to love him in New York."

The similarities between Martinez and Mattingly, however, do not begin and end at the plate. Both men are relatively reserved, politely answering questions when asked and not prone to confrontation. Mattingly's clubhouse presence evolved slowly over time and accelerated when he was appointed captain by manager Stump Merrill on Feb. 28, 1991. Martinez has never known the concept; the Mariners have not had a captain since he was promoted from Triple-A Calgary for good in 1991.

That didn't stop him from voicing his opinion from time to time in Seattle. The Mariners were a loose bunch last season, a group that caught fire with only two established stars, and the baton of leadership passed from locker to locker when the need surfaced. Martinez took his turns.

"I was one of the more vocal guys in that clubhouse," Martinez said. "I'd go about my business until something needed to be said. There are times when it's hard to get going . . . but pretty much every day, the guys came to play ball."

Reliever Jeff Nelson, who was packaged with Martinez in the five-player trade that brought them to New York, described the way the first baseman would take charge in more explicit terms.

"He's kind of quiet," Nelson said, "but he gets ticked off when he sees guys not doing their job."

Dressing down Joey Cora and Rich Amaral may have worked in Seattle. But don't expect Martinez to pop off in his new clubhouse, where his four years of major-league experience are peanuts. And he knows it, too.

All he has to do is look around him in the Yankees clubhouse at Legends Field. Martinez gestured to his left, and there was 14-year veteran Wade Boggs. To his right was outfielder Tim Raines, who's been in the majors for 15 years. Martinez is reminded of his clubhouse seniority, or lack of it, every morning when he shows up for work.

Torre sympathizes with his first baseman. He prefers a nuts-and-bolts evaluation of Martinez, sidestepping the issue of replacing a respected captain and franchise icon such as Mattingly. "I like his stick," Torre said of Martinez. "As far as playing the field, he's fine with me."

And what if Martinez has a question about playing first base for the Yankees?

"I'm sure if I wanted to talk to him on the phone," Martinez said, "he'd want to."



MARTINEZ VS. MATTINGLY

Don Mattingly had few peers when the captain was in his prime. For that reason a comparison between Mattingly and his 28-year-old replacement, Tino Martinez, is lopsided when the first four years of their respective careers are examined. But for the upcoming 1996 season, the Yankees should be a statistically superior club with Martinez at first base. While the former Mariner had career highs in every offensive category last season, the oft-injured Mattingly was in serious decline, hitting .288 with seven home runs and 49 RBI.

Tino Martinez 

YEAR        G        Avg.     HR      RBI


1992       136      .257      16       66


1993       109      .265      17       60


1994       97       .261      20       61


1995       141      .293      31      111


 


Don Mattingly


YEAR        G        Avg.     HR      RBI


1984       153      .343      23      110


1985       159      .324      35      145*


1986       162      .352      31      113


1987       141      .327      30      115

Copyright 1996, Newsday Inc.