Sandy Alderson was a guest on Baseball Night in New York and was asked if he sees a chance for Michael Conforto to get consistent at bats this year the way the team is built right now. Alderson replied:
“I think he has the potential to be a very versatile player and a good offensive player across the board. I don’t think we’re going to piecemeal him this year, again I don’t want to forecast what’s going to happen in spring training, but I don’t see him picking up at bats at first base, picking up at bats here or there… Michael Conforto is a long-term asset for us and given the situation we have, unless we can trade an outfielder for Carmelo Anthony… I think unless we have a clear avenue for Conforto to play on an almost every day basis that we’re going to have to make some decisions at the end of spring training.”
The most important part of that quote is the last sentence, in which Sandy strongly hints that with the current outfield situation, there is a decent chance that Conforto will start the season in the minor leagues, most likely Triple-A Las Vegas.
Conforto under-performed in 2016, batting just .220/.310/.414 with 12 home runs, 42 RBIs, and a 92 OPS+ in 109 games. If Sandy Alderson can’t trade one of the Mets outfielders, it is very likely that Conforto is sent to the minor leagues. Getting consistent at bats is paramount for the young outfielder, and if they need to be in Las Vegas, so be it.
