Darryl Strawberry is the most hyped player and the best power hitter the Mets ever produced.
His arrival to the majors in early May ’83 marked a sign of progress for a franchise searching for hope. After a slow start, Strawberry began to fulfill those enormous expectations and became the third Met to take the National League Rookie of the Year honors, joining Tom Seaver (1967) and Jon Matlack (1972).
Darryl garnered 18 of 24 first-place votes in a landslide victory over Atlanta Braves pitcher Craig McMurtry.
The top pick in the 1980 amateur draft out of Los Angeles’s Crenshaw High School, Strawberry was tall and lean, blessed with a sweet name and a sweeter swing. A Sports Illustrated feature once compared Strawberry to Ted Williams. With a thoroughbred build and a swift uppercut made for home runs, he had all the makings of the revered “five-tool player.”
On May 6, 1983, the Mets unveiled their shiny new toy in the MLB showroom. For a team already 10 games out of first and not getting any closer, this was the incentive to keep fans tuned in. Strawberry struggled as he tried to adjust to baseball’s top level. Over his first month, he hit .165 and struck out every 2.5 at-bats. After about five weeks, though, Strawberry began to figure it out.
Starting on June 7, Darryl fashioned an OPS of .936, topping the figure of NL MVP Dale Murphy. His power took a significant upturn in the second half as he hammered 19 homers and drove in 51 runs. By September, the glimpses of his potential were now on full display.
In the final month of his Rookie of the Year campaign, he exhibited terrific plate discipline by batting .376 and hitting successfully in 20 of 24 games. In 122 games, he had a 134 OPS+ and 19 stolen bases. His final totals of 26 homers and 76 RBIs stood as Mets rookie records until 2019.
It was until then that Strawberry was the lone Mets position player to be named top rookie. Pete Alonso joined Darryl in first-year honors and surpassed his home run and RBI marks. Yet the fascination fans had for Strawberry, especially in his early days as a Met, remains unmatched.
