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Kevin Duffy of Amazin' Avenue with an Amazin' profile of Amazin' springtime slugger Darren Reed.
“I loved Port St. Lucie, we were there in 1988 when the stadium opened,” he said. “I always had great springs.”
Did he ever.
From 1988 to 1991, Reed batted .337 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs, earning him nicknames like “Mr. March” and “Mr. Spring Training” among Mets fans. But it was never enough for Davey Johnson or Bud Harrelson to bring him north for Opening Day.
“Why am I not on this team right now?” he said he would ask himself. The response from the Mets was always the same: Go down to Tidewater and stay ready.
He finally did get the call early in 1990, striking out as a pinch-hitter on May 1 in a 5-2 loss to the Braves.
“I remember walking out on the field in Atlanta and the top of my head tingling and it was like I was on a cloud,” he said. “All these years of dreaming this dream and I’m standing here right now. It just blew my mind.” |
It hasn't been an easy road to hoe since those heady March days. Recommended reading.
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