While speaking to beat writers on Thursday, General Manager, Sandy Alderson advised that the New York Mets will expose both T.J. Rivera and Michael Conforto to new positions in spring training as reported by Adam Rubin of ESPN.
Alderson confirmed a rumor that many of us believed would happen entering the 2017 season as Conforto will indeed put on a first baseman’s glove at times this spring. Getting the young left-handed hitter some work at first will certainly help his playing time, especially if Jay Bruce is still a Met.
The team needs to find a way to get the 23-year-old Conforto as much playing time as possible in the upcoming season. After a disappointing 2016 that saw Michael go up and down from Las Vegas and New York, he will look to bounce back in a big way.
Conforto struggled mightily last season, working to a .220/.310/.414 batting line to go with 12 homers and 42 RBI in 304 plate appearances. He looked overmatched throughout much of last season but needs to play everyday against both right-handed and left-handed pitching to really see what he is made of.
On the flip side, the Mets will take Rivera and give him some time in the outfield this upcoming spring. Rivera could seemingly end up in a super utility role for this team going forward as he has proven with his bat that he is capable of being a contributor at the major league level.
Rivera was as advertised last season, hitting to a .333/.345/.476 batting line with three homers and 16 RBI in 105 plate appearances. Prior to being finally called up, the constant word was that all the 28-year-old Rivera does is hit, which he continued to do once getting the opportunity to grace Citi Field.
It would be quite interesting to see what Rivera could do over a full season. He seemingly has the capability of being a player able to hit for .300 on a regular basis and possibly able to compliment that with 15 homers and 75 RBI over a full season of regular play. Maybe this is a bit crazy to think but he could end up being a Daniel Murphy type player, if given the opportunity.
Spring training is now less than a month away as the team preps itself of what it can expect from it’s players as they ready for the 2017 season. How would you like to see Conforto and Rivera being used going forward? Let us know in the comments below!
