Just as Dwight Gooden had a chance to thank New York Mets fans for their support through the years, Darryl Strawberry will get his chance on Saturday, June 1st. More importantly, the fans will get to say their thanks to “Straw” as his #18 becomes the tenth number retired by the team, and will reside in the rafters from then on.
One of the greatest power hitters of all time, and the greatest power hitter in Mets history, Strawberry’s smooth left-handed swing was both mesmerizing and lethal. Straw set the standard for power hitters in the 80’s and 90’s. Despite spending less than half of his career with the Mets (eight of seventeen years), he is mostly remembered for his role on the 1980’s Mets, in particular the 1986 World Series champions.
After leaving the Mets, who selected him with the first overall pick in the 1980 MLB draft, he moved on to the Dodgers for three years, the Giants for one season and the Yankees for five years.
Awards and Accolades
Strawberry was a heavily awarded slugger, though the great majority of his major accolades came during his tenure in New York. Over his career, his batting average was .259 with a career slash line of .259/.357/.505. His career OPS was .862. He finished his stellar career with 335 home runs and an even 1,000 RBI’s.
Breaking this down, with the Mets he batted .263 with 252 home runs and 733 RBI’s. He is the franchise leader in home runs, ten ahead of David Wright. His game was quite different with the Mets compared to later in his career. Showing himself to me more of a free swinger in Queens, 960 of his career 1,352 strikeouts were with the Mets. Additionally, he was more active on the base paths, with 191 of his 221 career stolen bases came as a member of the Mets.
Straw was rewarded for his aggressive ways while with the Mets. After winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1983, he was an eight-time All-Star (seven with the Mets and one with the Dodgers) and won two Silver Slugger Awards.
Leaving the Mets
As John Flanigan wrote here, the decision by Strawberry to leave the Mets as a free agent after the 1990 season has weighed on him to this day.
His quote from the article: “I’m looking forward to really being able to say thank you to the fans and to tell the fans I’m sorry for leaving. I wish I would’ve never left, New York will always be home for me, I will always be a Met. It was never about the fans or not playing there. It was more about the front office and not having a relationship and I just had to move on. If there is one regret I have in life it was leaving the fans because there is nothing like a curtain call at Shea Stadium.”
Similar to Doc Gooden’s departure, both Doc and Darryl miss the fans the most. While that is not surprising, it is a testament to the connection that the fans made with the players on those unique and Uber-talented teams in the mid to late 80’s.
A Story of Resilience and Recovery
As mentioned above, a lot of Strawberry’s statistics and accolades came as a member of the Mets. Though only eight of his seventeen seasons were with the Mets, they covered 1,109 of his 1,583 career games.
Strawberry’s life story, outside of baseball, is one of resilience and recovery. He battled the demons that come along with alcohol and drug addiction through much of his career, and later battled through legal and health concerns. In his rookie year, as profiled by Shawn Morris here, he started falling victim to the New York nightlife including cocaine. This would continue to plague him throughout his career.
When he signed with the Dodgers, in his first season (1991) he maintained his All-Star form. However, in 1992 he only played in 43 games as he injured his back. The injury bug stuck with him, as he only played in 32 games in 1993. His addictions landed him in rehab, and his stint with the Dodgers was soon over. In 1994, he signed with the Giants and only played in 29 games in the strike-shortened season (which most teams played about 115 games in). Despite playing in so few games, the vibes were a lot better for Straw exiting the ’94 season. However, Straw’s addiction demons came back as he again failed drug tests.
Strawberry was very fortunate to get yet another chance, this time back in New York with the Yankees. Owner George Steinbrenner wanted things to work out with Straw and took steps to help him. In 1995, he played in both minor league games and 32 games with the Yankees in the big leagues. This trend continued until 1998, when he appeared in 101 games for the Yankees and delivered 24 home runs with 57 RBIs, his highest totals since 1991. The final year of his career was 1999.
In addition to the on-field ups and downs, Strawberry fought through addiction struggles, through health struggles, and through legal troubles. Through his efforts to reclaim his life, and with the support of his wife Tracy, Strawberry is now a minister and does a lot of work for autism.
One of the highlights of this season so far for the Mets was the number retirement of Dwight Gooden’s #16. Darryl Strawberry was there for him, and Dr. K should also be at Strawberry’s #18 retirement. They are tied together as the stars of the 1986 World Series championship. Unfortunately, fans’ memories of them also serve as reminders of what could have been, evidencing the fragility of success and stardom. While they have been up and down in their personal relationship as well, they are currently on good terms which is great for Mets fans who are enjoying seeing them be there for each other at these important times.
Strawberry suffered a heart attack a bit before Gooden’s number retirement but was still there for his teammate. It will be an emotional and historic day for Strawberry and his family, for his Mets teammates, and for Mets fans on Saturday, June 1st.
Congrats, Straw, and thanks for the memories. Here’s to an enjoyable Saturday, continued good health, and more memories to be made!
Written by: Jason Krom
Stats by baseball-reference.com
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