Oct 16, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Former New York Mets pitch Darryl Strawberry throws out the ceremonial first pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers before game three of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Mets legend Darryl Strawberry praises team's durability

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI
By Joe Najarian | Last updated Mar 15, 2025 3:00 PM ET

As Opening Day approaches, the excitement surrounding the New York Mets' season continues to grow.

While the team has dealt with a handful of injuries this spring (particularly to their pitching), the addition of Juan Soto is expected to transform New York's already explosive lineup into one of the best in the sport. The 26-year-old outfielder will anchor the batting order along with 2024 NL MVP runner-up Francisco Lindor, the power bat of Pete Alonso, an on-base machine in Brandon Nimmo, and the emerging Mark Vientos.

Needless to say, that's a lot of talent. But one stat in particular impresses franchise legend Darryl Strawberry the most - and it's the simplest stat of them all.

In a Saturday article from Bill Madden of the New York Daily News, Strawberry expressed his pleasure of the Mets building a remarkably durable nucleus of position players. While Soto does a lot of things well, Strawberry reasoned that the outfielder - who will play the same position he did - was worth his $765 million contract because of his ability to play every day. Soto has notably played 150 games or more every year since 2019 (not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 season).

Bill Madden: Darryl Strawberry a big fan of what Mets are building https://t.co/YymH6yZLnl
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) March 15, 2025

Soto's durability is one of his greatest strengths, along with his hitting prowess. And this is further complimented by two more iron men for the Mets, those being Lindor and Alonso.

Lindor, despite missing a few games in September last year due to a barking back, has played in 473 out of a possible 482 games since 2022. For a player that is both a spark plug on offense and one of the best defenders at the most important infield position, Lindor's consistent availability is a massive feather in his cap.

As for Alonso, he has been the definition of unbreakable. Since his major league debut in 2019, the powerful first baseman has played in 846 out of 870 games; even in the 60-game 2020 season, Alonso played in 57 of them. Last season, the 30-year-old channeled his inner Lou Gehrig and played in all 162 regular season games and 13 playoff games. Having Alonso's game-changing power in the lineup nearly every single day for six years is one of the Mets' biggest advantages.

It's especially important for the trio of Soto, Lindor, and Alonso to stay healthy this year, as New York has been hampered by several injuries this spring. Starting pitchers Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea are sidelined with lat and oblique strains, respectively, catcher Francisco Alvarez underwent surgery to repair a fractured hamate bone in his left hand, and second baseman Jeff McNeil was recently sidelined with an oblique strain.

Despite this assortment of ailments, they can all be overcome by the incredible talents - and availability - of the Mets' fearsome one-two-three punch.

This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: