In a decision that should come as no surprise to MMO readers, 2014 first rounder
Michael Conforto, will skip Single-A Savannah and begin the season with Advanced-A St. Lucie as reported by ESPN New York.
Conforto was selected 10th overall last June out of Oregon State and hit .331 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 163 at-bats with the Brooklyn Cyclones in his professional debut.
in an exclusive interview with MMO’s John Bernhardt this offseason, Mets GM Sandy Alderson profiled Conforto for us.
“Since I arrived in New York, he’s the first first-round pick out of college that we’ve drafted. Our other three had been high school players. So I do expect that he’ll move a little more quickly. We did get him to Savannah for the playoffs late in the season this year. So I would expect that he’ll move more quickly than some of our other top draft picks have certainly.”
“Michael comes from a very athletic and competitive family. His father, I think, was a linebacker at Penn State. He played football there. His mother is a former Olympic athlete — a medalist in synchronized swimming. So he comes from a very athletic family. He’s a great kid, very humble and committed to the game and has interacted with fans — I think a terrific individual, and an outstanding hitter.”
“A left-handed hitter, power is probably not his foremost quality. He’s got some, but he’s more of a gap-to-gap guy — high average, high on-base percentage — and a pretty good defender, which was not his reputation coming into the draft. But based on the time he spent in Brooklyn and then Savannah, our guys were very pleased with him defensively. He’s kind of an all-around player, and we do expect that he’ll move very quickly.”
After a spectacular game in his Grapefruit League debut that saw Conforto go 3-for-4 at the plate with two singles, a double and three RBIs, Manager Terry Collins came away very impressed with what he saw.
“He’s got a short swing, he’s got a quick bat through the strike zone. It’s the first time I’ve seen him. But, for sure, he’s got one of those really nice swings,” Collins said.
“You saw during each at bat, they would throw him something off speed and he would make an adjustment once he saw it. Good hitters can do that”
As I’ve said often on MMO, Conforto is going to be a special hitter that will play at an ALL Star level for many years to come. His fluid, compact and powerful swing is built for success and his ability to quickly adapt shows a maturity beyond his years.
