As everyone knows, the second half of the Mets 2018 season is not going to be about this year at all, with the team currently 40-56 and in last place in the NL East.
The remainder of the season will be an attempt to properly evaluate the organization’s talent in order to assess how to move forward in 2019 and beyond.
One name the Mets are hoping can earn a spot in the everyday lineup next year is Michael Conforto, who struggled mightily in the first half of the season.
Coming off shoulder surgery, Conforto hit a mere .216/.344/.366 with 11 home runs and 30 RBI in 287 at-bats while striking out 86 times as compared to 53 walks.
However, albeit in two games at Yankee Stadium, the 25-year old has come out of the All-Star Break hot, going 3-for-7 with one home run, one double, one walk, four RBI, and three runs scored.
Now, obviously this is a very small sample size and by no means should anyone be excited that “the real Michael Conforto has returned.”
It is important to keep an eye on him the rest of the season, though, as he might legitimately be one of only a handful of players guaranteed to be in a Mets uniform for the 2019 season.
After last season, the team had planned for Conforto to be penciled into the lineup for years to come, but with the way he played in the first half, they had actually considered demoting him despite not having any clear option to replace him in the lineup.
Again, he could very well go back into his season-long slump as early as tonight’s game against the Yankees on ESPN. However, the fact that he has been driving the ball again is encouraging, with the team fearing at one point that his shoulder surgery was forcing him to not be able to swing for the fences with ease.
Conforto is part of the team’s near future one way or another, so they will have to hope that it’s for the better.
