HE’S LOOKING CONFORTOBLE
Mike makes statement by belting HR in first ’17 start
SO THIS is the new reality for Michael Conforto, the 24-year-old outfielder once heralded as the future of the Mets’ offense and a cornerstone in the lineup for the next decade: He’s a bench player who will start sparingly and must prove his worth in limited playing time.
Conforto took an important first step toward regaining the trust of Terry Collins Sunday night in the Mets’ 5-2 win over the Marlins. He made his first start of the season, playing center field in place of Curtis Granderson, and went 1-for-3 at the plate with a solo home run and two RBI.
Collins said after the game that Conforto’s performance does not change his lineup for Monday’s bout at the Phillies. Granderson will return to center field. Jay Bruce, who also homered Sunday, will once again start in right field. And Conforto will be back on the bench — where he will spend most of his time this season thanks to the Mets’ outfield logjam.
“I might pitch him,” Collins joked about Conforto. “That way I can hit him ninth.”
The performance may not have changed Collins’ thinking. But Conforto nonetheless made a statement Sunday night, displaying the combination of power and patience that made him such an appealing prospect before his disappointing 2016 season, during which he spent late June and July in the minors.
In the first inning, Conforto came to the plate with the bases loaded and drew a fourpitch walk for his first RBI of 2017. And his home run in the sixth was a massive blast to left that traveled 430 feet, per MLB.com, careening into the sign behind the bullpen.
“It was just a fastball out over the plate,” Conforto said of the dinger. “And I was ready for it.”
He was ready for the fastball, just like he was ready for his first start of the season. Conforto said Collins informed him he was going to start after Saturday’s loss, meaning he had all night to think about the opportunity in front of him.
“I want to be starting as many games as I can. But that’s one of the things I can’t control,” Conforto said. “All I can do is go out there and play as well as I can.”
It wasn’t all positives for Conforto, who played center field Sunday for just the seventh game in his major-league career. He was slow tracking a soft fly ball to left-center in the third inning, which eventually resulted in a Yoenis Cespedes error. The two players almost collided. Conforto should have been more vocal and called off Cespedes. His inexperience at the position was evident. But it’s part of the learning process. “I had a shot at it,” Conforto said of the misplay. “I took a step back on it and was trying to get back to it. I didn’t end up calling it.”
Collins said he had “a long talk” with Conforto at the end of spring training, when the Mets manager informed Conforto he would be making the team. They discussed Conforto’s new role as a bench hitter — something foreign to a young man who’s been an everyday player for his entire career, at every level.
Conforto took the advice, and according to Collins, he’s been bouncing around the clubhouse seeking guidance from veterans on the frustrating and unique craft of pinch-hitting. His teammates are taking notice. “His talent speaks for itself,” Bruce said. “And (he’s) someone who’s probably never come off the bench in his life before. It’s got to be difficult. And he’s taken it like a professional, and he’s preparing.”
The goal for Conforto, obviously, is to return to the lineup full-time and demonstrate to Collins and Mets front office that his 2015 performance is more indicative of his true self. That year, Conforto joined the Mets from Double-A and helped lead the charge to the World Series. He hit .270 with nine homers and 26 RBI in 56 games before blasting three home runs in the postseason, including two in one World Series game.
The talent is there; the consistent opportunities at the plate are not. He must earn those back, one start a time. “He’s aware that he’s the future. We’re aware he’s the future,” Collins said. “We are certainly concerned that he’s not going to get the at-bats you would like him to have. But I just think he’s a big piece of this team.”
“(Conforto is) aware that he’s the future. We’re aware he’s the future. We are certainly concerned that he’s not going to get the at-bats you would like him to have. But I just think he’s a big piece of this team. TERRY COLLINS