Darryl Eugene Strawberry was born on March 12, 1962 in Los Angeles, California. Some facts: Strawberry stood 6'6", weighed 190 pounds, batted and threw lefty. For eight years, Strawberry was an All-Star power hitter for the New York Mets. Rookie of the Year in 1983, Strawberry was elected to the All-Star team for eight straight years beginning in 1984. Strawberry developed drug abuse problems, and later, colon cancer.
Strawberry graduated from Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles in 1980, then was the first pick in the free agent draft, selected by the Mets. He was placed in the minor leagues for a few years, and in 1982 he was voted Most Valuable Player of the Texas League. In 1983, he began in a AAA league before being called up by the Mets. His impressive 26 home runs in 122 games for the Mets got him the Rookie of the Year title. He made his impression on the pitchers of the league very quickly.
Strawberry continued ripping up the competition for the next eight years. In 1986, he was a member the Mets team that won the World Series, hitting a home run in Game 7 of that series. Two years later, Strawberry finished second in Most Valuable Player voting, losing by only 36 votes to Kirk Gibson of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team Strawberry would later play for. Also in 1988, he led the National League in home runs with 39. On September 1, 1990, Strawberry recorded his 1,000th Major League hit.
The following year, 1991, Strawberry played for the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was a solid year for him, but it was also his last as an All-Star. After this he hit a string of injuries, especially to his back and knees. Soon, news of Strawberry's cocaine problems became public. The next two years marked a steep decline for Strawberry, but the Dodgers gave him a second and third chance out of respect for his skill. In May of 1994, he was released, then picked up a month later by the San Francisco Giants. He did not return to the Giants for the 1995 season, but was signed by the New York Yankees in June 1995, swearing that he had been drug free for a long time.
Strawberry made an impressive comeback in the minor leagues for the Yankees, and played a little for them in the 1995 and 1996 seasons. He then became injured again and missed most of the 1997 season. In 1998, he was successful as the Yankees' designated hitter, but was forced to exit the playoffs after being diagnosed with colon cancer. He did play in the 1999 season and playoffs, but was once again arrested for cocaine charges. In 2000, he was arrested yet again, and suspended by Major League Baseball for substance abuse. In 2000, he developed another tumor as well. It is unlikely, given his condition and age, that he will ever return to professional baseball.