Back in 1980, one of Frank Cashen’s first acts as newly appointed general manager of the New York Mets was drafting a tall, lean, lefty-swinging teenager from Crenshaw HS in Los Angeles with the first overall selection of that year’s June amateur draft.
No one really knew what the club had when they drafted Darryl Strawberry, but, by 1982 Mets fans gained a much better understanding. In 129 games for (AA)-Jackson, Strawberry, then 20-years old, hit 34 home runs and drove in 97 runs.
Meanwhile, the parent club posted their 6th straight losing season, finishing in last place of the N.