Darryl Strawberry

Darryl Strawberry is an American former major league baseball player, minister, and author. Raised in Los Angeles, he became a leading power hitter with the New York Mets and later played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and New York Yankees. His career included eight All-Star selections, the 1983 National League Rookie of the Year award, and membership on four World Series championship teams.

Strawberry’s books revisit his sporting career and the personal difficulties that accompanied it, including addiction, legal problems, and cancer. Early collaborations appeared while he was still playing; later accounts consider recovery, faith, and life after baseball. His 2026 book, Another Life, written with Jerome Preisler, concentrates on his subsequent work as a minister and the lessons he draws from experiences both within and beyond the game.

The collaborations were written at different stages of Strawberry’s life and should be read in that sequence. Hard Learnin’ appeared in 1990 with Don Gold. Darryl, written with Art Rust Jr., followed his years with the Mets and move to the Dodgers. Straw, written with John Strausbaugh, was published in 2009 and extended the account through further personal setbacks and a religious awakening.

His later publishing also includes work focused more directly on Christian faith and relationships. Titles include The Imperfect Marriage, written with his wife, Tracy, and A. J. Gregory, and Turn Your Season Around, with Lee Weeks. These works place his baseball experiences within a broader public role centered on speaking, ministry, recovery, and family rather than continuing competitive participation.

Baseball Books

Hard Learnin': This early autobiographical collaboration with Don Gold presents Strawberry’s life during his years as a prominent New York Mets player. Published while his major league career was still in progress, it records his perspective before the later events covered in subsequent memoirs. It is an earlier personal account rather than the retrospective life story found in Straw. Published in 1990.

Darryl: Strawberry recounts his rise with the New York Mets, beginning with his Rookie of the Year season and continuing through eight years at the club. Written with Art Rust Jr., the memoir addresses disagreements with management, drinking, and his move to the Dodgers. It captures his view of professional and personal difficulties while his playing career continued. Published in 1992.

Straw: Finding My Way: Strawberry and John Strausbaugh trace his life from childhood in Los Angeles through major league success and serious personal setbacks. The memoir addresses addiction, encounters with the law, cancer, relationships, and religious faith. Athletic achievement is placed alongside the repeated efforts to rebuild his life, making recovery and responsibility central subjects of the account. Published in 2009.

Another Life: Discovering the Healing Power of Purpose on My Long Journey from Player to Preacher: Strawberry revisits his transition from baseball player to minister in this collaboration with Jerome Preisler. Accounts of traveling with his son Jordan to speak at churches, schools, prisons, and hospitals connect present-day work with earlier difficulties. He considers the influence of his mother, wife, and Christian faith while discussing purpose, service, and rebuilding a life after setbacks. Published in August 2026.

The book treats baseball as one part of a life whose later direction developed outside the sport. Strawberry’s ministry supplies its continuing setting, while his experiences as a father and husband help explain the values he discusses. The memoir’s focus is therefore on the years following the playing career as well as the consequences of what happened during it.