michael conforto

Good Morning everyone. Michael Conforto continues to have a hot start to his spring as he went 2-for-3 in Sunday’s 5-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers. The 23-year-old outfielder hit his second homer of the spring and scored two runs in another promising early performance.

Conforto, who is currently fighting to push the Mets hand in placing him on the opening day roster knows that he has a lot to prove this spring. ”It’s a good start. It’s definitely how you want to start things off here. There’s a lot of work still to be done, and I’m excited about more opportunities to solidify some things,” Conforto said. ”I just need to go out there and become a better player every day. I don’t feel any extra pressure. I’m going to go there and play and let my play take care of everything.”

LATEST METS NEWS

While Lucas Duda is currently sidelined as he deals with back spasms and also received cortisone shots in both hips, the Mets have turned to Jay Bruce as the latest candidate to log some time at first base. Bruce last played first base with the Cincinnati Reds in 2014 but only did so in three games. “I am going to work at it,” Bruce said. “I want to give myself a chance and the team a chance. I am not going to go over there and be a butcher. It’s just not the way I go about my business on the baseball field and it wouldn’t be fair to the team if I wasn’t capable to do it, so I am going to work at it and we’ll see what happens.” Read more from columnist Mike Puma in the NY Post.

Neil Walker made his first appearance in a game on Sunday since undergoing season-ending back surgery to repair a herniated disc this past September. Walker was 0-for-2 on the night but felt good getting back at it as he readies himself for the 2017 season. “Good to get back out there, get the first couple at-bats out of the way, move around. Felt great,” Walker said. “I fouled a couple balls off left-handed, swung through a couple pitches right-handed. That’s typically the last hurdle any time I’ve had back stuff that’s crept up in the past. Once you can fully let it go and everything is perfectly fine – that was the case today.” Read more from columnist Christian Red in the NY Daily News.

Tim Tebow enters minor league camp this morning, a week early and will hold a press conference to discuss his first spring training experience among other things. Mets Manager, Terry Collins is very intrigued by the former Hesiman Trophy winner. “I know he’s a winner. That’s going to mean a lot in that big clubhouse with young kids over there. I wish him the best in spring training,” Collins said. “When they tell me he’s had enough at-bats that he’s ready, I’ll bring him over. I think our fans should get a chance to see him.” Read more from columnist Matt Ehalt on NorthJersey.com.

NL EAST RUMBLINGS

Joe Nathan is on the comeback trail as he looks to rekindle his career in a Washington Nationals uniform. The former top closer pitched his first inning in a Nationals jersey against the Metropolitans on Saturday. He allowed one hit on the day but was able to garner an inning ending double play as he faced the minimum while only tossing nine pitches. “I’ll tell you, it felt very easy today,” Nathan said. “I’m surprised that it got there. Normally, for me, spring has always been velocity down, even when I was a mid-to-upper guy. I always threw low 90s in the spring, so for me to go out and be 91, 92 for a first outing and I felt very easy out there. I didn’t feel like I was putting too much effort into pitches. I felt very smooth, very effortless, I would say.” Read more from columnist Jorge Castillo in the Washington Post.

Atlanta Braves ace, Julio Teheran made his spring debut on Sunday, pitching two scoreless innings. Teheran allowed one hit on the day while also hitting a batter and both striking out and walking one batter. Teheran worked on his key off-speed pitches right off the bat as he looks to ready himself for the World Baseball Classic. “I like to work on my off (speed) early in the spring,” Teheran said. “I don’t want to wait until the last game of spring training to work on the stuff that I want to have in the regular season. Why not work (on it) the first game of spring training if you have to fix something or have to make adjustments?” Read more from columnist Michael Cunningham on the AJC.com.

Miami Marlins pitcher, Tom Koehler put forth passionate statements regarding his team’s starting rotation on Sunday. The Marlins are left with an impossible void to fill with the tragic loss of ace, Jose Fernandez. Koehler understands what the Marlins face entering the 2017 season and sees great promise in his fellow pitchers. “When you look at it on paper, yes, we’re missing that clear-cut No. 1. We’re hoping that guys can step up. … But we have guys who have gone tee to green and thrown those innings,” Koehler said. “If we can stay healthy, we think we can do a really good job of handing the ball to the bullpen with a lead more nights than not.” Read more from columnist Tim Healey in the Sun Sentinel.

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