Darryl Strawberry had one of the most promising careers in baseball during the 1980s, becoming a four-time All-Star with the New York Mets. His career was also plagued by personal issues off the field including struggles with drug addiction. Throughout his ups and downs, Strawberry found himself featured prominently in baseball card sets, including those produced and distributed by the retail giant Kmart during the peak of his fame in the late 80s and early 90s.
Strawberry was drafted first overall by the Mets in the 1980 MLB draft out of high school in Los Angeles. He quickly showed star potential by hitting 26 home runs in just his rookie season of 1983 at the young age of 21. Card companies took notice and Strawberry’s rookie card from 1983 Topps is one of the most coveted and valuable cards from that era, regularly fetching thousands of dollars today in near-mint condition.
As Strawberry established himself as a cornerstone of the Mets, Kmart began including him in their house brand baseball card sets sold in stores across America. In 1987, Darryl Strawberry was featured prominently on the front of Kmart’s 1988 baseball card wax pack along with fellow stars like Roger Clemens and Ozzie Smith. Inside, fans could find Strawberry’s basic baseball card amongst the checklist alongside career statistics and accomplishments from his first few seasons in the big leagues.
By 1988, Strawberry had cemented his superstar status by leading the NL in home runs with 39 while batting .296 with 104 RBI for the Mets. His performance that year resulted in some of his highest rated cards. Kmart capitalized on his success by including an insert card of Strawberry in golden foil in their 1988 Kmart baseball card wax packs. The foil added a premium shine and collectibility to one of the game’s biggest sluggers during that magical Mets season.
Off the field, Strawberry also married actress Charter Layton in 1988. Kmart commemorated this personal milestone with a rare married couples insert card pairing images of Darryl and Charter alongside their wedding photo. Only inserted very sparingly into Kmart wax packs, the Strawberry wedding card remains a highly sought after piece by collectors today interested in the player beyond just statistics on a baseball card.
Heading into the 1989 season and new decade, expectations were stratospheric for Darryl Strawberry as he entered his prime years with the Mets. Kmart created an exciting short printed preview card showcasing Strawberry in home whites from the previous season with an enticing message — “Strawberry Power in ‘89 Coming Soon!” Fans who pulled this elusive SPR card knew they had something special on their hands foreshadowing an epic year to come.
Unfortunately, dark clouds were forming in Strawberry’s personal life that would overshadow his on-field play. He was arrested for cocaine possession early in the 1989 season and checked into drug rehabilitation. But he returned mid-year to help power the Mets within one game of the World Series.
Despite his setbacks, Kmart still featured Strawberry prominently in their 1989 card sets. They included him as a central figure in a Kmart team card front showing different Mets players. And deep within packs, fans could pull a sobering Strawberry update card advising of his arrest and recovery process with an optimistic message of “ strides toward a brighter future.”
Strawberry remained a perennial star power hitter through the early 1990s, bashing over 20 home runs per season. But his life continued spiraling resulting in numerous further drug-related incidents. So while Kmart packs as late as 1991 still held Strawberry’s basic cardboard cards with stats of past heroics, the ominous shadow of personal troubles lingered with collectors aware of his ongoing struggles.
After leaving the Mets following 1992, Strawberry bounced around to the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees in the latter half of his career. But the magic was gone and his production declined as addiction seemingly took a physical and mental toll. His Kmart cards from this period reflect the fall from grace, featuring less premium stock and statistical drops from his Mets heyday.
Strawberry ultimately played his final major league game in 1999 after brief stints with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Houston Astros. He had overcome significant barriers to even reach the majors, battled mightily on the field, but his life off it proved an even tougher fight. Despite this, his Kmart cards remain a visible chronicle of a immensely talented star whose light burned bright yet all too briefly. While newer collectors may see his later cardboard solely as relics of stats, those from the 80s can reflect on what could have been for one of baseball’s ultimate “what ifs.”
In the decades since, Darryl Strawberry has openly discussed his personal issues and worked to rebuild his life through faith and charity work. Some of his higher-end Kmart cards from the Mets peak, especially those with premium treatments like gold foil, have increased greatly in collector demand and value as a reminder of how high the highs once were. For fans of the 1980s, Strawberry will likely always remain one of the most compelling figures immortalized in plastic and featured so prominently within the cardboard confines of Kmart packs.
