Conforto Named Eastern League Player of the Week

I wanted to update this excellent post by Christina with the news that outfield prospect Michael Conforto was just named the Eastern League Player of the Week.

Conforto, 22, went 7-for-16 (.438) with two home runs, three RBI, and three runs scored in four games this past week, and that was after an impressive performance at the Futures Game in Cincinnati.

The clamoring for the team to promote Conforto keeps growing as he continues to perform well at Double-A Binghamton.

However, I keep hearing the Mets look at promoting Conforto as a last resort and don’t want to put him in a position where he’s viewed as a savior for the offense.

That said, much of this depends on what the Mets do at the trade deadline in ten days. If they acquire an outfielder, chances are we won’t see Conforto until after the Super Two deadline in 2016.

Joe D.

July 18 – Calling Up Michael Conforto: The Pros and Cons

The only way a Mets fan hasn’t heard the name Michael Conforto is if they’ve been living under a rock; or, more likely, in a corner of a much better world where they don’t lurk Twitter all day. No offense to Twitter lurkers, I’m one of you guys.

Michael Conforto is, at the very least, good. Again, that’s at the very least. The 22 year old college bat from Oregon State was always described as an “advanced college bat” according to Newsday. And he’s proven that for the Mets affiliates so far.

Over 83 total games between St. Lucie and Binghamton, Conforto has a slash of .295/.369/.468/.837. In that same span, he has 10 homers (7 in St. Lucie, 3 in Binghamton) and 49 RBIs. 35% of his total hits have been for extra bases (35% and 36% for Bing and St. Lucie, respectively.) If we compare that to Daniel Murphy‘s 2013 season, Conforto’s good for about 6% more extra base hits.

I know, it’s like comparing apples and oranges. One’s a minor leaguer and one’s a pretty damn serviceable major leaguer (with the bat, for sure). But it’s a pretty good sign if this is what Conforto is all about.

The Pros:

You get an in-house bat that has been explosive in the minors.
The kid could revitalize a fan base craving for instant gratification from the minors.
Bryce Harper was hitting .243 when he was called up to the majors, and he’s turning out just fine.
Conforto has shown the ability to adapt to pitchers making adjustments. After going on a tear, he fell into a pretty rough slump going 9-for-40 over ten games. However, over his most recent 10 games, Conforto seems to be coming around a little going 12-for-41.
If he hits .270 upon promotion from AA to the ML, he’s already better than the Mets’ entire OF.
He doesn’t have a noodle arm in the OF–and you can watch his OF assist on loop from the Futures Game.
The kid exudes confidence in his ability to play and be a student of baseball.

The Cons:

He may end up comically unprepared and his growth can be stunted.
His confidence at the plate could be tarnished.
He could get sent back down and not be the same batter.
Fans may turn on him if he isn’t instantly a success.
Very little protection for him in the lineup, practically no safety net.

I’m not sure which side of the debate I’m on regarding Conforto. I love his bat, he already seems like a really exciting player. On the other hand, he could just be so exciting because it’s been a while since the Mets have had a real bat warming up in the minors. We have Brandon Nimmo and Dominic Smith finally heating up, but there was always a hope that they’d tap into their potential as high school picks. Conforto could really be explosive for the fan base and the Mets.

Do I think he’s ready? Possibly, mostly because he thinks he can do it, and I believe him. I’m not sure he needs as much time as people want him to have. I think he’s a smart enough kid that if he isn’t an immediate hit, he’ll take what he learned, genuinely, back to the minors and go on a tear to force the Mets to bring him up again.

We saw first hand that a smart baseball player can take his flaws, bring them to the minors, and come back a brand new player. I’m talking about Travis d’Arnaud. He got too much in his head and was beating himself down with the Mets. The demotion woke him up and calmed him down, and he went back to what made him a highly touted prospect.

There’s a lot of “I think, I think, I think” going on here, I know. We all have thoughts and opinions. But, with Cuddyer’s ballooning knees, Granderson’s noodle arm, and Lagares’ impending elbow surgery, the Mets need to do something, and rather than overpay for a guy like Ben Zobrist, they could go into their minors.

The issue is digging into their prospects will also irritate fans because it’ll presumably indicate an unwillingness to spend, but spending has put the San Diego Padres in a pickle jar and sealed the lid. Rather than getting older in the outfield with rentals or too-long deals, Conforto might be the healthier option for the Mets future.

Of course, fielding half of the Las Vegas 51’s roster in 2015 has felt more like a cry for outside help than a benefit for the Major League club. The Mets AAA pitchers have fared far better than AAA hitters. It’s harder to be a good pitcher in Las Vegas than it is to be a good hitter, so if you can pitch well there, you’re probably ready for the majors. Or, so it seems.

We’ll see in the coming weeks how things begin to shape up. I’m not trying to start a Mets’ fan war, but it’s good to weigh all possible options. I’m curious if anyone has any other pros or cons to add that I may have missed or not considered.