Darryl Strawberry

===Prime years===
Strawberry's Mets from [[1984 New York Mets season|1984]]–[[1990 New York Mets season|1990]] formed one of the premier teams in the National League, finishing either first or second in the division every year.

During the period from [[1983 New York Mets season|1983]] to [[1990 New York Mets season|1990]], Strawberry was very popular, with his image used on action figures ([[Kenner]]'s ''Starting Lineup''), posters and banners. He was also known for his disruptive behavior. He got into a physical altercation on team picture day with team captain [[Keith Hernandez]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/teammatefeuds/031103.html|title=ESPN.com – Page2 – I hate you like a brother| work= ESPN.go.com|access-date=May 23, 2012}}</ref> and in the midst of a war of words with infielder [[Wally Backman]], threatened to "bust that little redneck in the face".<ref name="latimes1994">{{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1994-05-26/sports/sp-62581_1_strawberry-mets-dodger|title=Lisa Clayton Darryl Strawberry &#124; Darryl Strawberry Chronology|work=Los Angeles Times |date=May 26, 1994|access-date=May 23, 2012}}</ref> He often overslept and was late for, or missed, team workouts.<ref name= "latimes1994"/> He publicly complained about manager [[Davey Johnson]] after he was removed from the game in a [[Double switch (baseball)|double switch]] during the ninth inning of Game 6 of the [[1986 World Series]], which the Mets would go on to win.<ref name="latimes1994"/> During the regular season in 1986, Strawberry hit 27 home runs and had 93 RBIs.<ref name="baseball-reference1"/>

[[File:Darryl Strawberry 1986.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Strawberry in 1986]]
In 1987, Strawberry hit 39 home runs and stole 36 bases, joining the exclusive [[30–30 club]]<ref>{{cite web| url= http://bleacherreport.com/articles/655020-new-york-mets-darryl-strawberry-and-the-top-10-power-hitters-in-team-history#/articles/655020-new-york-mets-darryl-strawberry-and-the-top-10-power-hitters-in-team-history/page/11|title=New York Mets: Darryl Strawberry and the Top 10 Power Hitters in Team History|first=Jim|last=Mancari|website=[[Bleacher Report]]}}</ref> at the time becoming one of only 10 players in baseball history to accomplish the feat. In addition to that, he hit 32 doubles and drove in 104 runs. Despite this, the [[1987 New York Mets season|1987]] team missed the playoffs.

In 1988, Strawberry once again hit 39 home runs to lead the National League. He also led the league in slugging percentage at .545 and OPS at .911 and finished second with 101 runs batted in.<ref name="baseball-reference1"/> He finished a very close second in MVP voting to the [[1988 Los Angeles Dodgers|Dodgers]]' [[Kirk Gibson]]. Strawberry led the Mets to the playoffs, losing to the Dodgers in seven games in the [[1988 National League Championship Series|National League Championship Series]].<ref name="baseball-reference1"/>

In 1989, Strawberry's offensive numbers declined: he had 29 home runs and 77 runs batted in, but only had a .225 average.<ref name="baseball-reference1"/> Nevertheless, the [[1989 New York Mets season|Mets]] came in a close second place to the [[1989 Chicago Cubs season|Chicago Cubs]] in the National League East.

In 1990, Strawberry rebounded by hitting 37 home runs, driving in 108 runs and batting for a .277 average.<ref name="baseball-reference1"/> His Mets, however, came once again in a close second place in the National League East, losing to the [[1990 Pittsburgh Pirates season|Pittsburgh Pirates]] by three games. Strawberry himself finished third in MVP voting that season.

Strawberry signed as a free agent with the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] on November 8, 1990,<ref name="baseball-reference1"/> inking a lucrative five-year $22.25 million contract. In California, he was named ''Big Brother of The Year'' for 1991. After hitting 28 home runs and bringing in 99 runs batted in a successful first year for the Dodgers, injuries and personal problems kept him sidelined for much of the next two seasons, hitting five home runs in each season.

By the end of the 1991 season, he had 280 lifetime homers at the age of only 29, drawing comparisons to then home run king [[Hank Aaron]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wcnet.org/~dlfleitz/aaron.htm|title=Who Can Catch Hank Aaron?|website= WCNet.org| access-date= May 23, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402092618/http://www.wcnet.org/~dlfleitz/aaron.htm|archive-date= April 2, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>