ANOTHER METS STRATEGIC MONUMENTAL MISCUE
Brother Steve’s 3rd in his list of major strategic blunders involved the Straw Man.
As in, not keeping Darryl Strawberry after 1990...
Because they wouldn’t offer him a 5th year towards his new contract...
Or, as Steve Brennan put it, "not giving him the stinking fifth year."
Darryl, labeled by some early on as the Black Ted Williams, showed prodigious power, Popeye forearms, long, swift gazelle-like strides, and oozed excitement for the Mets from Day 1, and had baby great moments from 1983-88.
A guy who, when he came up, you always wanted to watch.
The man who hit one off the roof in Montreal....the dude who hit one high off the St Louis Clock Tower in 1985.
In 1989, Darryl had an off year for him, hitting just .225, but in 1990, the big fella hit 37 home runs, with 108 runs and a .277 average for the Mets, good enough for third in MVP voting.
So, if you are a Mets front office, and it is your first ever home grown offensive superstar, you do the obvious...
You don’t sign him!
Strawberry signed instead with the left coast Dodgers in November 1990 for 5 years and a mere $22.25 million.
Chump change, says Mookie Betts. A mere bag o' shells.
Chump change, says Mookie Betts. A mere bag o' shells.
Injuries and other issues put the still young Straw Man on a decline thereafter, but the injury portion of that decline may not have happened as a Met, as injuries are often location-specific and not chronic.
Realize, y'all, that he had 280 HRs and 822 RBIs by his age 29 season.
Amazin'.
Amazin'.
But they balked on retaining a player Mets fans LOVED.
Kinda felt like when Tommy Seaver got dumped.
Later on, he helped...who else...the Yankees.
Strawberry defeated his demons and became an active Christian minister.
OK...but will the Mets ever really defeat their demons?
The solution may be plenty of exorcize.
OK...but will the Mets ever really defeat their demons?
The solution may be plenty of exorcize.
Sorry. I'm not on board with this being a monumental mistake.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, almost from the moment he stepped on the field for the Mets, he was saying how much he wanted to be a Dodger and play near home in LA. When Eric Davis was traded to LA, he really wanted to go to LA and play with his "buddy".
I'm not sure the Mets would've signed him, even giving him a fifth year. Darryl wanted LA. Period.
Yes, he had an outstanding first season with the Dodgers in 1991. But then he had two years of very little, having to deal with drug and domestic violence issues. The Dodgers wound up releasing him after 1993. After another lousy year with the Giants in 1994, they cut him loose, too. He had one more decent season with the Yankees in 1998 (although not up to standard for him), all during more drug issues. (The Yankees overlooked a lot with guys like Straw, Gooden, Steve Howe, etc.). Gone after 1999.
The tragedy here is more Strawberry and Gooden. Both could have been first ballot hall of famers, but totally screwed up their lives and careers.
He did say that maybe he should have stayed in New York (it wouldn't have saved his career, IMO). But he has also said that the ring he won with the Yankees was his high-point. He has also said he no longer has any interest in baseball. In short, Darryl's attitudes change with the wind.
As for Doc, I'd hoped he has straightened his life out, but then fell back last year into drug use. I fear he may be one of those guys that's found dead in a hotel room someday, way before his time. Very sad indeed.
Good points, Bob W. But if I were the Mets, I would have made Darryl an offer he couldn't refuse.
ReplyDeleteOr, if scared off by his personal issues, they should have signed the next guy in the Monumental Mistakes article series, coming up in a few days.
The Mets were rife with folks having substance abuse issues in those days. You either got them help, worked around it or suffered the consequences when they were unable to perform. I don't hold Strawberry (or Gooden or Hernandez or E. Valentine or many others) up as superstars.
ReplyDeleteReese, I hear you. I wonder if Gil Hodges circa 1969 could have brought the partiers in line if he had been managing instead of Davey.
ReplyDeleteThey (Doc & Straw) were flawed individuals who let what could have been iconic careers evaporate up their noses.
ReplyDeleteThat's not a Met mistake, it's on them.
Hobie, what happened to "things go better with Coke"?
ReplyDeleteBob W., Steve responded as follows to your comment above: "the moment he stepped on the field for the Mets, he was saying how much he wanted to be a Dodger and play near home in LA. When Eric Davis was traded to LA, he really wanted to go to LA and play with his "buddy"."
ReplyDeleteSteve said: WRONG … He only used that as a negotiating ploy.
Straw did, after his playing days, state that he loved being a Met. Going to LA and going down the road that he went on was a mistake on his part, BUT would not have happened if it was not for the Wilpons, who just had do the right thing and give Darryl, a big BOX OFFICE DRAW, another year at about 3.5 MM
Actually his numbers with the Yankees ( calculating AB’s ) are where his Mets’ number were.
Maybe. I still believe he wanted the Dodgers more at the time.
DeleteAnd check his Yankee years at baseball-reference.com. They are not that good aside from 1998.