Where do most people hope to be 14 months after they leave college? Some want to travel the world. Others want to have a job they love or one that pays the mortgage. Michael Conforto enjoyed his time at Oregon State where he dominated the Pac-12 Conference while batting at the heart of the Beavers lineup. However, he was ready for something more, and he wasn’t going to wait.
Where is Michael Conforto 14 months after finishing his third and final year at Oregon State? He is roaming the cavernous outfield of Citi Field. He is playing a role on a team with painfully strong playoff aspirations. He his swatting baseballs like flies to left, center and right and knocking a handful over the wall. His stroke is pretty, compact and explosive.
“It’s crazy,” Conforto told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “The fact that I’m still here, I’m very excited. It’s where I want to be.”
It isn’t often easy to make ones presence felt in a part-time role, especially when each week it seems there are rumors of your big-league days being numbered. But Conforto has stepped up to the challenge.
A .258 average and an .840 OPS is nothing to brush off. Conforto has played solid defense to ice the cake and has reassured the Mets front office that he belongs in Queens and not Las Vegas. Another solid month or so, and Conforto might find himself playing October baseball for the first time.
While Conforto is a role player at this point, he is providing much more than just short-term excitement for the Queens faithful. The Metropolitans haven’t had an offensive prospect with so much potential debut at Citi Field since David Wright and Jose Reyes. He is a symbol of a bright future over Flushing Bay.
The Mets are doing something special this year. It can be felt. It only makes sense that they have a young, special bat playing a role in that.
