Joe Torre loved having Darryl Strawberry on his bench in the days when the two were manager and player with the New York Yankees. Strawberry didn't play every day and he wasn't particularly good on defense and he racked up his share of strikeouts. But he was a threat, even when he wasn't at the plate.
The presence of Strawberry forced opposing managers to think about the very real possibility that this big and powerful left-handed hitter might soon be standing at the plate, the bat looking as insignificant as an uncooked strand of spaghetti in his hand. The specter of Strawberry's mashing a home run could shape the decisions with relievers late in game, and when at the plate he was fully capable of catching one with the fat part of the bat and driving the ball 450 feet, or perhaps even drawing a walk to load the bases for somebody else.
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Buster Olney
