With most of the Mets starting lineup being made up of some new faces, veterans and homeruns, it has been easy to overlook the body of work Michael Conforto has provided the Mets this season.
It started when the Mets were struggling offensively. The team could not put crooked numbers on the board, and the pitching staff felt tremendous pressure, as letting up one run could be the end of the game. Then came a blow to the outfield, as Michael Cuddyer got injured and was placed on the disabled list, sparking the debate of whether or not the Mets should call up one of their top prospects from Double-A Binghamton. At the time, he was hitting .312 with an OBP of .396 in 45 games. Not bad numbers for a small sample size.
His recent MLB journey has been a welcomed one for the Mets. In 44 games, he is hitting .288 with seven homers. His ability to get on base in the minors has carried over to the big leagues, as he has drawn 17 walks, and his OBP is .368. To put this into perspective, the Mets have four players with OBPs below .320 while playing in more than 100 games. If Conforto played in more games, it is likely that his percentage would decrease, but not to the extent of what the Mets have been featuring this entire season. Also it is important to note that a high OBP does not lead to wins, but it is impressive considering that Conforto is only a rookie and possesses a good sense of the strike zone.
We have always heard about Conforto’s bat and approach at the plate, but his glove work has been awfully impressive. Yesterday, we saw the left fielder rob Brett Gardner of extra bases with a dive near the warning track. According to Statcast, he ran 73 feet with an 88.7 route efficiency rating. It seemed that people might have been worried about Conforto’s routes, as he sometimes gets overanxious. Against Gardner, he did not head back to the warning track right off the bat, but was able to make up the distance with his speed and dive.
His arm has opened eyes, as he threw out Ketel Marte in this year’s All-Star Futures Game. Statcast recorded his throw at 91.6 MPH, which shows that the accuracy and arm strength is there. Conforto currently has five outfield assists, which is good for 20th in the National League. Considering how he was a mid-season call up, it makes sense to think that Conforto is going to have plenty of outfield assists in the future. Curtis Granderson has nine assists, while Yoenis Cespedes had nine in the American League. If a team can prevent giving up extra bases, the pitching staff has a huge advantage, and the Mets outfield features three great arms that will make third base coaches think twice about waving the runner home.
For all the time we have spent debating whether the Mets should or should not have called up Conforto, it seems that Sandy Alderson made the right choice. Conforto is playing a high level while helping the team win ballgames, which is what the organization should be pushing for as they are trying to win now.