Friday, April 27, 2012
Fallback Friday Classic Pic Of the Week
Posted on 10:24 AM by Unknown
Doc Gooden and Daryl Strawberry
The late 80s Mets were a group of seriously talented, eclectic and wild players that brought a ton of good times and a slew of bad ones for the Met faithful. Doc Gooden and Daryl Strawberry headlined the Mets off the field issues, but also led the Mets on the field with immense talent and serious promise.
Strawberry was one of the most highly touted prospects in MLB history and was drafted first overall by the Mets in the 1980 draft. By Daryl Strawberry's 1983 rookie of the year campaign, it was looking like he was going to live up to his first overall billing as a monster power hitter. In 1987 and '88 Strawberry put together two monster seasons hitting a combined 78 HRs and 205 RBIs in those two years. Strawberry finished 2nd in the MVP voting in 1988 and was a serious leader in the Mets lineup.
Doc Gooden exploded on the MLB scene winning rookie of the year in '84 compiling a 17-9 record with a 2.60 ERA. Gooden could absolute gas it, often clocking in at 98 MPH on his fastball and then buckling hitters with a mean curveball. In '85 at the young age of 20, the gunslinger recorded one of the greatest pitching seasons in the history of the league. Gooden went 24-4 with a mind blowing 1.53 ERA, 16 complete games and 8 shutouts. If this was going to be any indication of Gooden's future, the Mets were going to have one of the greatest pitchers of all-time.
As talented as these two individuals were, their off-the-field issues were just too much. Gooden never again won twenty games and Strawberry oddly never hit 40 HRs, though he came close three times. Both Strawberry and Gooden enjoyed the fast life a little bit too much, indulging in cocaine and partying to a level that not only ruined their careers but their lives as well. Though they embodied the '86 Mets almost perfectly(hardcore partiers, but serious ball players) they received the worst of this lifestyle later on in life. Once Strawberry was traded to the Dodgers in '91 his career had absolutely tanked, and at the age of 29, cocaine had already taken its toll. Gooden on the other hand, failed a drug test in '87 and never truly regained form after that.
It's actually truly sad to hear the accounts of these two extremely skilled players losing a large portion of their lives to drug addiction. Gooden's no-hitter for the Yankees in '96 gave him a brief return to glory, but couldn't erase the damage the drugs had done. Anyways you can still see the detriment today as both Strawberry and Gooden look aged way beyond their years. The Mets probably wouldn't have won the World Series in '86 without these guys, but the question still remains: if these two never got caught up in the fame would we be talking about hall of famers? Multiple World Series champs? We will never know.
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