Darryl Strawberry was picked first overall by the New York Mets in the 1980 Major League Baseball Draft.
The formidable 6ft 6in slugger hit MLB in 1983 and was named the National League‘s Rookie of the Year.
GettyStrawberry’s huge frame was an imposing sight for pitchers[/caption] Getty - ContributorHe formed a lethal tandem with Dwight Gooden, right, at Shea Stadium[/caption]His first All-Star nod came in his sophomore season — the first of eight appearances in a row.
During that run, the Straw Man helped bring the World Series to New York in 1986 — a year after signing a six-year contract worth $7.1 million that the Mets will still be paying off in 2033.
Per ESPN, nearly 40 percent of his $1.8 million team option in 1990 ($700,000) was deferred into guaranteed payments for 43 years with a 5.1 percent interest rate.
It was a similar arrangement that led to July 1 forever being known as Bobby Bonilla Day to the franchise’s fanbase. The former Met picks up a check for almost $1.2 million on that date every year from 2011 through 2035.
ESPN reported that Strawberry was expected to give a portion of it to his ex-wife, Charisse, as part of a divorce settlement in 2006, but did not make the payments.
A judge in the Northern District of Florida later ruled that the Internal Revenue Service owned the money over unpaid taxes for 1989, 1990, 2003, and 2004.
The IRS auctioned off the remaining funds owed to him by the Mets in 2015.
An unidentified bidder paid $1.3 million and will earn $8,891.82 a month for around 18 and a half years.
Strawberry left the Jets for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1990 and won three more World Series as a New York Yankee in 1996, 1998, and 1999, but was not the same player in his later years.
He said the decision to leave New York was a major regret.
GettyStrawberry is a two-time Silver Slugger[/caption] GettyHe hit 335 home runs and 1,000 RBI[/caption] GettyThe best time of his career came in New York[/caption]“The fans are so different in New York than LA,” Strawberry said. “L.A. fans come late and leave early. New York fans come early and never leave. They wait until the end of the game, whether you win or lose, and I was used to that.
“I was just more used to the aggressive fans and playing in New York City and letting people be over the dugout and yelling at you running across the field.
“And when you suck, they tell you you suck. And you look at them like, ‘Yeah, I do suck right now. I need to get better.’”
Strawberry, who retired in 1999, is in the Mets Hall of Fame and had his No.18 jersey retired by his original team in June 2024 — two months after a near-fatal heart attack.
He struggled with addiction during his career and admits that despite his public appearance, he wasn’t fulfilled.
“Playing baseball was easy. I pretended to be happy because I was successful, but I wasn’t a real man,” he revealed to Sunrise Recovery. “I wasn’t a good husband or father. I just did what I wanted. Accomplishing things as a baseball player didn’t make me a man.
“I was 21, 22, 23, and at that age, you don’t think your life can derail. I became addicted to it all—womanizing, amphetamines, cocaine, wealth.
“Then, as you get older, you realize you have everything, but you’re bankrupt inside.
“You’re never truly free. I would sit in my $2 million home, feeling empty. It’s all fun until it turns toxic.”
He was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2002 for violating probation related to cocaine possession and served 11 of them.
“When I took off the uniform, I was in a complete downward spiral of addiction. I’ll never forget my prison number, T17169,” he later revealed.
“While I was in jail, I refused chemotherapy because I would have preferred to die. But God was doing for me what I couldn’t do for myself—He wasn’t going to let me go.”
GettyHe had his jersey retired after throwing out the first pitch in 2024[/caption] GettyStrawberry’s form was never the same after he moved to LA[/caption]Strawberry has since become a preacher and opened treatment centers to help those with similar problems.
“I sit here today free and liberated. I want to encourage people that hope is possible,” he added. “It’s about people helping people.
“We need to get back to a place where we help and reach out to those struggling with addiction—whether it’s opioids, heroin, or other substances — because their lives matter.”
In 2010, Strawberry appeared on NBC’s The Apprentice alongside Sharon Osbourne, Cyndi Lauper, Bret Michaels, and other celebrities.
He admitted he was the weakest contestant during the third episode and was fired by Donald Trump.
The show donated $25,000 to The Darryl Strawberry Foundation after he placed 12th.
Strawberry is still touring churches to discuss his faith and share everything he has learned in his 63 years on earth.
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