GIVE CONFORTO A BIG HAND
Mets’ lone Star is still out with bruised wrist
IN A truly fitting development, the Mets’ only All-Star — for now — is currently on the disabled list.
Michael Conforto, who landed on the 10-day DL Saturday because of a bruised left hand, will represent the Mets at the 2017 All-Star Game at Marlins Park in Miami on July 11.
No other Mets were initially selected for the game, but additional players could earn a nod depending on injury replacements or starting-pitcher replacements.
The 24-year-old Conforto is hitting .285 with 14 home runs, 41 RBI and a .953 OPS in 69 games. He expects to be activated off the disabled list next weekend when the Mets face the Cardinals in St. Louis, and therefore anticipates playing in the Midsummer Classic. His placement on the DL is retroactive to June 28.
“It’s a dream come true, definitely,” Conforto said Sunday after the Mets fell to the Phillies at Citi Field. “It was a pretty cool moment this morning finding out. A lot of hard work went into it, and I obviously have to thank my teammates and the coaching staff. Definitely couldn’t have done it without them. It’s just been an awesome day today, to be honest with you. I’m really excited about it.”
After a disappointing 2016 campaign that included a demotion and a onemonth stint in Triple-A, Conforto arrived at spring training this year unsure if he would even make the major-league roster.
But he secured a spot as a bench player, and then hit his way into a starting role by posting a .314 average in May with seven homers. Yoenis Cespedes suffering a hamstring injury created more opportunity for Conforto, and he took advantage. By the end of May, Conforto had emerged as not only the Mets’ best hitter, but also one of the elite hitters in all of baseball.
Conforto said he didn’t think back to almost not making the squad when he got the All-Star news from Terry Collins Sunday morning.
“Really what I thought about was the hard work I put in this offseason and in spring training,” Conforto said. “I always had a feeling, even if I didn’t start with the team, I knew I was gonna be able to make an impact at some point. I guess that makes it a little bit more special.”
Conforto has cooled off significantly since his hot start, hitting .206 with just one home run in June. But the Mets youngster is enjoying his moment nonetheless.
“Everyone has their journey. Obviously last year was something that was an experience for me, a learning experience, and something I had to go through. I look at it as part of my journey,” said Conforto, who hit his first major league home run at Marlins Park on Aug. 3, 2015. “It’s definitely something for players who are coming up now, players who are coming up in the future, just to not let a bad year or a bad month or whatever it may be, don’t let it get you down. Use it as a positive experience and let it fuel the fire, which is definitely what it did for me.”