The New York Mets are getting closer to being eliminated from contention with each passing day. Every loss digs the hole that much deeper, with this talented team quickly running out of time to find their way into October.
Last night, the season was quite literally hanging in the balance.
After getting another poor outing from their starting pitcher, the Amazin’s lineup clawed their way back into the game against the Baltimore Orioles. Then in the sixth inning, it seemed like another contest was about to slip through the Mets fingers as the Orioles loaded the bases for Rio Ruiz.
Ruiz turned on an inside sinker from Justin Wilson and scolded it with an exit velocity of 99.2 mph directly over the head of Michael Conforto. With desperation, Conforto closed in on the line drive that traveled 372 feet and made a leaping catch on the warning track, using every inch of his glove before gently landing against the fence.
This is was the type of momentum-changing play that can turn a season around. A play that provided a breath of fresh air for a team that was running out of oxygen. And it came from the Mets most valuable player this season.
Now a few home runs from Conforto’s young teammates ultimately sealed the 7-6 victory, but if not for his outstanding effort in right field, New York would have most definitely endured their third-straight loss and gone into their off-day on another sour note.
The 27-year-old outfielder has garnered many new nicknames with his play this year, as broadcaster Keith Hernandez has dubbed him “Iron Mike” for playing everyday, while Pete Alonso revealed him as “Silky Elk” after the game.
Whatever you want to call him, Conforto is in the midst of another career-year, living up to the potential that everyone envisioned for him when he starred on a World Series team in his rookie year back in 2015.
At that time, Conforto was considered the heir apparent to David Wright. The next perennial All-Star that could lead the Mets into the next decade. Conforto would reach that level in 2017, becoming a first-time All-Star after enduring a sophomore slump in 2016. Unfortunately his season was cut short due to a dislocated shoulder, which greatly impacted him the following year as well.
Then in 2019, Conforto quietly put together a career-year, setting new highs in hits, home runs, doubles, RBI, runs scored, and stolen bases. Yet despite his elite production, there were new young All-Stars in Queens and the right fielder to a backseat to the monster seasons of Alonso and Jeff McNeil.
But now in his sixth big league season, there is no way to ignore Conforto, as he shows the superstar potential that everyone knew was there in 2015.
Conforto is currently third in the National League in both batting average (.340) and on-base percentage (.428). His 55 hits are the second-most in the NL behind Trea Turner (60) and his .990 OPS ranks ninth in the league.
Even more impressive, Conforto has a 168 wRC+ according to Fangraphs. This makes him the seventh-most productive hitter in the MLB based on that statistic (Dominic Smith is actually sixth with a 171 wRC+).
By averaging Conforto’s statistics over a 650 plate appearances, he would be on pace to score 120 runs, with 221 hits, 32 home runs, 48 doubles and 108 RBI. With his current 1.6 fWAR, Conforto is essentially performing at the level of a 6-WAR player over a full 162-game season.
After being forced to play out of position at times in center field during his career, Conforto has finally become the Mets everyday right fielder and is showing to be an elite defender in the corner. Between the leaping catches, his cannon of an arm and his consistent offensive production, Conforto has is now a premier right fielder in this league.
While he may not match the production of a player like Mookie Betts, Conforto has certainly reached the upper-echelon at his position and should remain in that class moving forward. Now that he is only one year away from free agency, there is likely a nine-figure contract heading Conforto’s way in the near-future.
With all that being said, the first order of business for new team owner Steve Cohen should be to reach into those deep pockets and extend Conforto to remain with the Mets for a very long time.
