Michael Conforto Has Been Red-Hot Since The All-Star Break

One of the big questions the New York Mets want an answer to in the second half is who the real Michael Conforto is. Conforto has alternated good years and bad to this point, with most of the 2018 season being a bad one for the young outfielder. The wild card in the situation was the shoulder surgery that Conforto underwent last August, which sidelined him for all of spring training and kept him from doing his regular offseason prep work. If the early returns in the second half are to be believed, Conforto is looking a lot more like the player that became an All Star in 2017 than the one who was lost for most of 2016 and the early portion of this season.

Since returning from the All Star Break, Conforto has been red hot, going 10 for 26 (good for a .385 batting average) with two doubles, three home runs, and 10 RBI’s. A big key to Conforto’s success is his ability to take the ball to all fields, which is an approach he had gotten away from in the midst of a deep slump in June. Conforto is starting to shoot the ball the other way again with more regularity, allowing him to stroke more extra base hits and boost his slugging percentage in the process. With Yoenis Cespedes likely to miss a significant portion of 2019 after undergoing two heel surgeries, the Mets will need guys like Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, and Amed Rosario to step up if they hope to contend next season. Conforto has begun to show more of the form that made him an All Star last summer, and if he can continue to look like a potential franchise cornerstone that is a big burden off the backs of the Mets.

It also is worth noting that Conforto’s offensive numbers have improved since the Mets shifted him back to left field. For the early portion of the season, the Mets were using Conforto in center while Nimmo played left, and Nimmo surged at the plate while Conforto struggled. The two switched spots a couple of weeks ago, right around the point where Conforto started to become more productive at the plate. It is fair to wonder whether the added burden of playing center field was taking a toll on Conforto’s hitting, particularly since he is better suited to play a corner position. With the Mets signing Austin Jackson to start in center the majority of the time, both Nimmo and Conforto will get a chance to play the corners where they belong, giving each guy the opportunity to just settle in and focus on hitting.