In dire need of a makeover as the 1980s dawned, the New York Mets opened the decade nabbing Darryl Strawberry from Los Angeles’ Crenshaw High School.
The right fielder with a pretty swing gave the Mets much needed power as they became a full force again in 1984. The 1983 NL Rookie of the Year, Strawberry started an eight season run terrorizing NL pitchers. Whether it was his prodigious power, hitting 39 homers in back-to-back seasons, or his ability to steal a base, he helped fuel an era of Mets baseball that remains talked about today.
Twice a top five finisher in the MVP voting, 1988 was his best year. As the Mets battled the Cardinals in an annual battle for the NL East, Strawberry slugged at a .545 pace with an Adjusted OPS+ of 165. At 26 and hitting the peak of his career, the Mets seemed the irresistible force bludgeoning the immovable object. The Dodgers had other plan. With the red-hot Orel Hershiser and plucky Kirk Gibson, they dispatched New York in the NLCS in seven gut-wrenching games. The Mets, and Strawberry, were never the same.
Moving to his hometown Dodgers on a lucrative free agent deal, Strawberry crashed after 1991. A cameo with the Giants in 1994 followed by a bench role with the Yankees earning him three more World Series rings.
Those eight years in Queens, however, made him a legend. The 1986 squad is one of the best all-time and Strawberry’s 42 WAR earns him sixth-best on the list.
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