Darryl Strawberry Comes To Somerset For Double-A Subway Series

Bridgewater, New Jersey – Darryl Strawberry is entrenched in an exclusive club alongside Dwight Gooden as the only players to have hoisted a World Series trophy with both the Mets and Yankees franchises. Strawberry, who is a beloved figure in both Queens and the Bronx, was on hand for an appearance at TD Bank Ballpark ahead of the Patriots and Rumble Ponies Double-A Subway Series matchup on Wednesday night.

"Double-A is the biggest challenge for players. That's where you realize what kind of player you are."

17-year MLB star Darryl Strawberry, who spent five seasons with the @Yankees, reminisced on his time in the minor leagues prior to game two of the Double-A Subway Series. pic.twitter.com/3FI7lPyJP9

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) August 6, 2025

The eight-time MLB All-Star reflected on his time in Double-A way back in 1982 with the Jackson Mets that ultimately prepared him for a decorated 17-year career in the Big Leagues that saw him win four World Series rings in the Big Apple.

“Double-A is the biggest challenge for players; that’s where you realize what kind of player you are,” explained Strawberry. “That’s what it was for me – I played in Lynchburg, Virginia the year before and struggled and I was thinking about maybe quitting and going back to school to probably play basketball because I didn’t really like playing where I was playing.”

After briefly contemplating walking away, Strawberry went to Jackson, Mississippi in 1982 for his first taste of the upper levels and all he did was post a 1.021 OPS while blasting 34 homers and driving home 97 runs to go along with 45 stolen bases. A true five-tool talent was emerging, the Mets knew it and most importantly, Darryl knew it, too.

“I went to Double-A and then I really realized that I arrived as a baseball player because Double-A was really tough,” said Strawberry. “There was a lot of competition and a lot of really good players and I’m quite sure these young players are going through the same thing at this level.”

Somerset and Binghamton cumulatively host 19 active players between both organizations’ top 30 prospect lists, including five of the top 100 in all of baseball. The upper levels of the minor leagues are the inflection point of a prospect’s career and Double-A is viewed around the industry as the toughest and most challenging rung in the ladder for a young player to climb. Pitchers are a bit more polished; hitters are a tad more disciplined and the pressure to perform is at an all-time high.

“Double-A is where you gain that experience of knowing that this is the kind of player that I can be at every level,” said Strawberry. “Hopefully these guys in Double-A; I know there’s a lot of prospects on both teams, they learn about themselves because they’re steps away from the Big Leagues. These guys are knocking at the door to the next step to the Big Leagues, so the most important thing is to just have fun playing.”

Having fun is the name of the game and the Patriots are doing just that in the second half of the season as they make a push to secure a postseason berth. Somerset is 19-10 since 7/1 and the Double-A Subway Series matchup is going to prove pivotal down the stretch as they hope to close the three-game deficit to Binghamton with 34 games remaining, including 10 against the Rumble Ponies.

Matt Kardos | SomersetPatriots.com Senior Writer

Matt Kardos has covered the Yankees minor league system for over a decade and will spend his 13th season on the beat covering the Patriots for SomersetPatriots.com. Throughout his career, Matt has contributed to MLB.com, YES Network and Pinstriped Prospects. When he’s not at the ballpark, Matt enjoys traveling with his wife Kimberly, watching Jets football and collecting sports cards.