Having a routine is something that helps people in all walks of life. The familiarity of those routines is comfortable, and eventually, it becomes muscle memory. We go through our routines without having to think about it — Until something disrupts that routine. At that point, we are uncomfortable.
Michael Conforto has benefited from having a routine this season. Unlike past years, Conforto is anchored in right field. He is not being shuttled around the Citi Field lawn based on who the Mets are playing, what other outfielders are in the game, or just on a whim. He is the every day right fielder and as he’s been able to develop a routine, he is finally comfortable.
In 2016, ’17, and ’18, he logged innings in all three outfield positions. In none of them did he record more than one DRS — in most cases, he had a negative number. Overall, he had one DRS and a 2.1 UZR (4.2 UZR/150) in 2016, -2 DRS and 2.3 UZR (2.4 UZR/150) in 2017, and -6 DRS and -3.5 UZR (-4.0 UZR/150) in 2018. For a young player with a reputation of being a strong defender, that steep downward trend was cause for concern.
Why was he playing so poorly in the outfield? We all saw him burst onto the scene with 9 DRS and a 5.6 UZR (23.3 UZR/150) in left field when he exclusively played there in 2015, so what happened?
Baseball players know that balls travel differently to different parts of the outfield. For example — When a ball is hit to left field, often it will slice or tail even more towards the left field line. The opposite happens when hit to right field, as it slices to the right. The action of the ball in these two instances is very different, and a player constantly changing positions must make constant adjustments.
If a player is anchored at one position, as Conforto is this season, he can better anticipate what a batted ball is going to do. Starting from the same general place every at-bat, he can read the ball off the bat better than he could when moving around. He is now comfortable in right field, and that has led to 4 DRS already this young season (5th best in MLB, 2nd in the NL), as well a 0.4 UZR (2.1 UZR/150).
This Spring Training, when the Mets made the decision to keep him in right field, Mickey Callaway said they did it in part because the Mets anticipate Yoenis Cespedes will return this season and resume his normal duties in left field. Instead of starting Conforto in left field and then moving him to right field when Cespedes comes back, Callaway said Conforto will just start the season in right.
Many have pointed to his defensive instability as a reason why he’s struggled offensively in the past. With a 153 wRC+ and .274/.412/.519 slash line so far, he’s having his best season yet. His strikeouts are down, his walks are up, and he’s hitting to all fields with power. He is on pace to eclipse 30 home runs for the first time in his career and is only heating up.
Anchoring Conforto in right field was and is the right move by the Mets, and it has paid dividends. For the first time, he looks comfortable. He’s playing comfortable, and it’s fun to watch.
