Will It Be a Strawberry Summer?
Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 11:25 am[i:a0fc68c0ce]by Jack Lang
photo: SN Archives
originally printed, The Sporting News, March 24, 1986[/i:a0fc68c0ce]
[size=18:a0fc68c0ce]Yes, If the 'Real' Darryl Conquers Inconsistency[/size:a0fc68c0ce]
<img src="http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/images/baseball/stratomatic/1986/story_photos/darryl_strawberry_1_150x190.jpg" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" /> ST PETERBURG, Fla — Everybody knows how good New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden can be.
This could be the year we finally learn how good Gooden's teammate, Darryl Strawberry, can be.
Finally? Strawberry has already hit 81 home runs in 380 games his first three seasons in the majors. Not even such noted sluggers as Henry Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Jimmy Foxx and Hank Greenberg hit that many so quickly.
"Darryl is capable of becoming a 50-50 man," said Joe McIlvaine, the Mets' vice-president of baseball operations, who rarely goes overboard.
McIlvaine means 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season.
"And the 50 stolen bases may be the toughest part," McIlvaine added.
The homer prediction echoes the appraisal Jim Frey offered when he was Strawberry's mentor 1983, Strawberry's first year with the Mets.
"He is easily the best young hitter I have seen in my 14 years in the big leagues," said Frey, then a Mets coach and now manager of the Cubs.
"Looking at him at his age (then 21) and what he has done and what he can do is like a horse trainer looking at Man o' War as a 2-year old," Frey added.
"It's silly to say he will hit 30 home runs a year, because he almost has now and he's still learning," Frey said. "So you have to say he's capable of 40 homers and, if you do that you're in the top two percent of your class. Fifty? I don't want to put that kind of pressure on him, but, yes, Darryl is capable of hitting 50 some year."
Strawberry hit 26 homers in 122 games as a rookie in 1983 and 29 in 111 games last year.
The 1984 season is not one Strawberry recalls fondly.
"He quit on himself," Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez said of Strawberry late that year. "He gave in on certain tough situations. When things got tough, he gave in in August. I didn't think he was giving it 100 percent effort. But he was down on himself.
"The second year is the toughest for every player. I know it was for me, and it is for most second-year men. When it got tough, he gave in. He couldn't handle things when they went bad. He was taking lazy swings in batting practice and not concentrating. Darryl can win games for us with his glove when he isn't hitting. But he must retain his concentration in the field, and he wasn't."
In spite of what was considered - for him - a horrible second year, Strawberry still hit 26 home runs and drove in 97 runs. He was fourth in the National League in both departments.
Last year, with much of the Mets' media hype shifted to Gooden, Strawberry had a whale of a season - when he played.
His 29 homers set a club record for lefthanded hitters. He also drove in 79 runs, set a Mets record with a .557 slugging percentage, stole 26 bases and batted a career-high .277.
And that production came despite a long absence because of an injury.
On May 11 at Shea Stadium, Strawberry dived for a sinking drive in short right field. In the process, he suffered torn tendons in his right thumb and was sidelined for nearly seven weeks.
When he returned at the end of June, Strawberry came out swinging. He raised his batting average from .200 to .277 by hitting .305 in the second half of the season. In his final 71 games, he had 21 homers and 60 RBIs.
That second half, the Mets feel, is the real Strawberry. Everyone connected with the organization is anxious for him to prove once and for all that he has embarked on a Hall of Fame career.
Just compare his home-run production for 380 games to that of certain noted sluggers of the past:
- Aaron, in his first three seasons, played 48 more games than Strawberry did in his first three, yet hit 15 fewer homers.
- Mantle played 365 games in his first three years, 15 fewer than Strawberry. But he hit only 57 homers, 24 fewer than Strawberry.
- Foxx appeared in 364 games in his first three years and hit 49 homers - 32 less than Strawberry.
- Greenberg played 43 more games in his first three seasons than Strawberry, and he hit 74 home runs - seven fewer than Strawberry.
Research by New York statistician Red Foley shows that the only players in history who hit more home runs in their first three seasons than Strawberry were Chuck
Klein, Rudy York, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Eddie Mathews and Ralph Kiner. All but Klein and York played in more games during their first three seasons than Strawberry did.
But something is still missing after three years of tremendous promise.
Manager Dave Johnson calls his right fielder "inconsistent".
Strawberry is well aware of that criticism. He brooded in 1984, and his period of inactivity in 1985 was painful.
"I still feel the need for more consistency," Strawberry said. "But at least I'm more relaxed about everything now. I'm not overconfident. I just feel I'm doing things right. I think it should be our year."
If 1986 is going to be the Mets' year, it also has to be Strawberry's.
A testament of Strawberry's importance to the Mets: Through May 11 last year, when Strawberry injured his thumb, the Mets were 18-8. During his seven-week absence from the lineup, they were 20-23. From the day he returned until the end of the season, the Mets were 60-33.
They won 98 games and weren't eliminated from their N.L. East race with the Cardinals until the next-to-last day of the season.
Would Strawberry have hit 40 or 50 home runs if he had not missed 51 games?
"People are always talking about me hitting 50 home runs," he said. "The pressure has been on me since the day I arrived. Maybe they expected me to hit 50 right away. When they talk about me, they say I should hit .300, 50 homers, drive in 125 to 130 runs and steal 50 bases. That's what they say. It adds pressure."
And, yes, people do say he's capable of all that. His teammates watch in awe as Strawberry pounds baseballs out of sight. They have side bets on how many home runs a healthy, mature Strawberry will hit playing a full year.
"I'm talking 40 homers, 50 to 60 steals," said second baseman Wally Backman.
"Will anyone bid 60?" asked General Manager Frank Cashen.
"He's the most hellacious prospect I've ever seen," Cashen added. "He can do all five things you want a player to do - hit, hit for power, run, throw and field."
Batting coach Bill Robinson predicts Strawberry someday will "hit a baseball as far as any man alive."
I'm predicting an MVP-type year for Darryl - if he stays hungry," Robinson added.
Realizing the pressure his young star is under, Johnson is more modest in his expectations.
"I hope he has a helluva year for all our sakes," Johnson said. "Darryl should hit .300, 30 home runs and drive in 100 runs."
That would almost guarantee a pennant for the Mets.
"He could be our meal ticket," Johnson said with a smile.
"Just let me be healthy all year," Strawberry said. "A lot has been said about what I can do. Until I do it, it's just talk. Give me a full year, and I'll take my chances."
photo: SN Archives
originally printed, The Sporting News, March 24, 1986[/i:a0fc68c0ce]
[size=18:a0fc68c0ce]Yes, If the 'Real' Darryl Conquers Inconsistency[/size:a0fc68c0ce]
<img src="http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/images/baseball/stratomatic/1986/story_photos/darryl_strawberry_1_150x190.jpg" align="left" style="margin-right: 10px;" /> ST PETERBURG, Fla — Everybody knows how good New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden can be.
This could be the year we finally learn how good Gooden's teammate, Darryl Strawberry, can be.
Finally? Strawberry has already hit 81 home runs in 380 games his first three seasons in the majors. Not even such noted sluggers as Henry Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Jimmy Foxx and Hank Greenberg hit that many so quickly.
"Darryl is capable of becoming a 50-50 man," said Joe McIlvaine, the Mets' vice-president of baseball operations, who rarely goes overboard.
McIlvaine means 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season.
"And the 50 stolen bases may be the toughest part," McIlvaine added.
The homer prediction echoes the appraisal Jim Frey offered when he was Strawberry's mentor 1983, Strawberry's first year with the Mets.
"He is easily the best young hitter I have seen in my 14 years in the big leagues," said Frey, then a Mets coach and now manager of the Cubs.
"Looking at him at his age (then 21) and what he has done and what he can do is like a horse trainer looking at Man o' War as a 2-year old," Frey added.
"It's silly to say he will hit 30 home runs a year, because he almost has now and he's still learning," Frey said. "So you have to say he's capable of 40 homers and, if you do that you're in the top two percent of your class. Fifty? I don't want to put that kind of pressure on him, but, yes, Darryl is capable of hitting 50 some year."
Strawberry hit 26 homers in 122 games as a rookie in 1983 and 29 in 111 games last year.
The 1984 season is not one Strawberry recalls fondly.
"He quit on himself," Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez said of Strawberry late that year. "He gave in on certain tough situations. When things got tough, he gave in in August. I didn't think he was giving it 100 percent effort. But he was down on himself.
"The second year is the toughest for every player. I know it was for me, and it is for most second-year men. When it got tough, he gave in. He couldn't handle things when they went bad. He was taking lazy swings in batting practice and not concentrating. Darryl can win games for us with his glove when he isn't hitting. But he must retain his concentration in the field, and he wasn't."
In spite of what was considered - for him - a horrible second year, Strawberry still hit 26 home runs and drove in 97 runs. He was fourth in the National League in both departments.
Last year, with much of the Mets' media hype shifted to Gooden, Strawberry had a whale of a season - when he played.
His 29 homers set a club record for lefthanded hitters. He also drove in 79 runs, set a Mets record with a .557 slugging percentage, stole 26 bases and batted a career-high .277.
And that production came despite a long absence because of an injury.
On May 11 at Shea Stadium, Strawberry dived for a sinking drive in short right field. In the process, he suffered torn tendons in his right thumb and was sidelined for nearly seven weeks.
When he returned at the end of June, Strawberry came out swinging. He raised his batting average from .200 to .277 by hitting .305 in the second half of the season. In his final 71 games, he had 21 homers and 60 RBIs.
That second half, the Mets feel, is the real Strawberry. Everyone connected with the organization is anxious for him to prove once and for all that he has embarked on a Hall of Fame career.
Just compare his home-run production for 380 games to that of certain noted sluggers of the past:
- Aaron, in his first three seasons, played 48 more games than Strawberry did in his first three, yet hit 15 fewer homers.
- Mantle played 365 games in his first three years, 15 fewer than Strawberry. But he hit only 57 homers, 24 fewer than Strawberry.
- Foxx appeared in 364 games in his first three years and hit 49 homers - 32 less than Strawberry.
- Greenberg played 43 more games in his first three seasons than Strawberry, and he hit 74 home runs - seven fewer than Strawberry.
Research by New York statistician Red Foley shows that the only players in history who hit more home runs in their first three seasons than Strawberry were Chuck
Klein, Rudy York, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Eddie Mathews and Ralph Kiner. All but Klein and York played in more games during their first three seasons than Strawberry did.
But something is still missing after three years of tremendous promise.
Manager Dave Johnson calls his right fielder "inconsistent".
Strawberry is well aware of that criticism. He brooded in 1984, and his period of inactivity in 1985 was painful.
"I still feel the need for more consistency," Strawberry said. "But at least I'm more relaxed about everything now. I'm not overconfident. I just feel I'm doing things right. I think it should be our year."
If 1986 is going to be the Mets' year, it also has to be Strawberry's.
A testament of Strawberry's importance to the Mets: Through May 11 last year, when Strawberry injured his thumb, the Mets were 18-8. During his seven-week absence from the lineup, they were 20-23. From the day he returned until the end of the season, the Mets were 60-33.
They won 98 games and weren't eliminated from their N.L. East race with the Cardinals until the next-to-last day of the season.
Would Strawberry have hit 40 or 50 home runs if he had not missed 51 games?
"People are always talking about me hitting 50 home runs," he said. "The pressure has been on me since the day I arrived. Maybe they expected me to hit 50 right away. When they talk about me, they say I should hit .300, 50 homers, drive in 125 to 130 runs and steal 50 bases. That's what they say. It adds pressure."
And, yes, people do say he's capable of all that. His teammates watch in awe as Strawberry pounds baseballs out of sight. They have side bets on how many home runs a healthy, mature Strawberry will hit playing a full year.
"I'm talking 40 homers, 50 to 60 steals," said second baseman Wally Backman.
"Will anyone bid 60?" asked General Manager Frank Cashen.
"He's the most hellacious prospect I've ever seen," Cashen added. "He can do all five things you want a player to do - hit, hit for power, run, throw and field."
Batting coach Bill Robinson predicts Strawberry someday will "hit a baseball as far as any man alive."
I'm predicting an MVP-type year for Darryl - if he stays hungry," Robinson added.
Realizing the pressure his young star is under, Johnson is more modest in his expectations.
"I hope he has a helluva year for all our sakes," Johnson said. "Darryl should hit .300, 30 home runs and drive in 100 runs."
That would almost guarantee a pennant for the Mets.
"He could be our meal ticket," Johnson said with a smile.
"Just let me be healthy all year," Strawberry said. "A lot has been said about what I can do. Until I do it, it's just talk. Give me a full year, and I'll take my chances."