On the Simply Amazin’ podcast last week, I spoke with my fellow MMOers Mike Mayer and Tim Ryder. We each shared who we think our 2020 breakout player will be. Michael Conforto‘s name came up… but I had to disagree.
Conforto does not need to have a breakout season. He has already broken out and shown us what he is capable of. What he needs is a consistent season to silence all of those who doubt him.
It’s no secret that there is a (too) large group of Met fans that hate on Conforto season after season. Why? Don’t look at me, I’m not one of them. I think Conforto is an asset to this team, both in terms of on the field and off the field. I will acknowledge that his consistency is an issue.
But, he has shown us the potential that he has in him. He has shown us what he can do. He has won with this team, lost with this team, suffered injury with this team, and has hit World Series home runs with this team (yes, plural, for those who may not remember).
Conforto was just ranked the ninth best right fielder in baseball by MLB Network. In 1,012 1/3 innings at that position in 2019, he had 1 DRS and a 0.6 UZR. Offensively, Conforto ended the 2019 season with a slightly higher line than in 2018 – .257/.363/.494 compared to .243/.350/.448. This year also held for him a career-high in home runs (33) and RBI (92). His strikeout rate was the lowest of his career (since his 2015 debut) at 23%.
Even against lefties, who Conforto has struggled hitting against in the past, Conforto hit .241/.316/.385 against lefties this past season; that slash line being even higher against lefty starters (.252/.366/.390).
These numbers are not bad, at all. The improvement from 2018 to 2019 is a great sign. If this improvement continues into 2020, then it may be time for Conforto to have his silence the haters season.
On top of all of this, Conforto is a good player and a good teammate. He’s our homegrown players. He was a leader on this team from a young age. He has worked with veterans and rookies. Heck, he’s even worked, learned from, and played with one of the best – the Captain himself, David Wright. What better teaching can you have on being an all-around great Met than that?
