Darryl Strawberry signs on for Old Timers’ Day fun, Mets announce
If anyone was on the fence about attending the Mets’ Old Timers’ Day, the team is doing its best to convince them to come.
On Thursday, the team announced that Darryl Strawberry would join the fun at Citi Field on Aug. 27.
“Shea was always a wonderful place for me,” Strawberry said in a statement released by the Mets. “The fans were always great. They supported me in the good and bad times.”
Unfortunately for anyone hoping to see Strawberry’s trademark swing in the Old Timers’ game, the 60-year-old doesn’t think his body will cooperate.
“Sorry to say, I don’t think I will be able to play,” Strawberry said. “My knees and shoulder won’t let me swing a bat anymore. It’s the wear and tear and the years catching up with me. I will be there supporting the guys who will be on the field.”
A healthy amount of Mets’ legends are scheduled to attend, including Mike Piazza, Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, Pedro Martinez, Mookie Wilson, Ed Kranepool, Robin Ventura, Turk Wendell, Cliff Floyd and Ron Swoboda, among others. The team said that over 60 former Mets will be in attendance.
Strawberry, who was selected by the Mets with the first overall pick of the 1980 draft, made seven All-Star appearances with the team. His impact was immediate, as he captured the National League Rookie of the Year in 1983 and was an integral part of the Mets’ 1986 World Series-winning squad. He also won two Silver Sluggers (in 1988 and 1990) and finished in the top three of MVP voting in both of those years.
To this day, he is still the organization’s all-time leader in home runs with 252. In eight years with the Mets — he was just 21 when he debuted — Strawberry batted .263 with a .359 on-base percentage and .520 slugging percentage.
By both FanGraphs’ and Baseball-Reference’s version of Wins Above Replacement, Strawberry is the second-best position player in Mets’ history, trailing David Wright. He ranks second in RBI, third in slugging percentage and runs scored, fourth in OPS, fifth in stolen bases and ninth in hits, doubles and total games played.
Nowadays, Strawberry is a traveling speaker who often speaks to young athletes about the dangers of substance abuse and other demons he faced while playing Major League Baseball.
Old Timers’ Day is scheduled to begin several hours before the Mets’ game against the Rockies at 7:10 p.m.
