MLB Former Stars: Darryl Strawberry

I’m going to start as series of articles where I talk about some of the biggest baseball stars of their time and then their eventual fall from grace.

Some players either made a huge splash in the majors for a couple of years, then stuck around and did horribly for the rest of their career; or some players appeared for a year or two and then disappeared, never to be heard from again.

I’m going to start my series off with one of the brightest stars to ever play the game, at his time, but his label of a “lazy underachiever” was spot on.

What if I told you, either a major league manager or a fantasy manager, that I could give you a player that would average: 83 runs, 31 home runs, 92 RBI, 22 stolen bases, and .263 batting for the first nine years of his career; what would you think of this player?

Before you answer, let me give you some more stats to gawk at: he won the rookie of year in his selection year; was an eight time all-star selection; won a World Series championship (won three more later in his career); won the Silver Slugger Award twice; and hit 39 home runs and stole 36 bases, joining the exclusive 30-30 club, at the time becoming one of only 10 players in baseball history to accomplish the feat.

If you have half a brain, you would want this guy on your team. He’s consistently put up numbers for nine years and is just getting to the prime of his career.

So, who is this guy?

Well, beyond what the title tells you, it’s Darryl Strawberry.

Strawberry, a native of Los Angeles, was drafted first overall in the 1980 draft by the New York Mets.

Strawberry rose through the Mets system and reached the major league level in 1983, posting 26 home runs, 7 triples, and 74 RBIs, while hitting for a .257 average. He was easily named the National League’s Rookie of the Year.

From 1983-1991 Strawberry was one of the most feared sluggers in the game, known for his prodigious home runs and his intimidating presence in the batter’s box, he’s 6-foot-6. He had such a distinctive batting stance, with a high leg kick and a long, looping swing; posting those numbers you see above.

After his many years as a Met, Strawberry signed as a free agent with the Dodgers in 1991, inking a lucrative five-year $22.25 million contract.

Before the beginning of his second year as a Dodger he was only 29 years old, he had 280 lifetime homers, and was drawing comparisons to home run king Hank Aaron. After that season his personal problems escalated and he would not hit his 300^th homer for another six years.

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