Good
morning.
A
lot of writers are jotting down a lot of things lately about Mets outfielder Michael Conforto.
Monday,
he hit a 414 foot home run, into deep right center, with an exit velocity of
105 miles per hour (he followed that with a single and then a double, raising
his batting average at the time to .333)). According to Brian P. Mangan, Conforto
went into that game leading the MLB with
52.4% hard hit. He has a 8.3% swinging strike rate and 20% rate of swinging at
balls, both above average.
He
is also hitting .378 with four homers, 10 runs scored and eight RBIs since
moving into the No. 3 spot in the order 10 games ago (yeah, yeah, Ernest... :)
Very
few Mets have the ability to do this kind of hitting on a consistent basis. Can
you imagine the potential of a 3-4-5 trio of Conforto, Yoenes
Cespedes, and Lucas Duda, all hitting on full jets?
I
vividly remember the 2014 draft. The Mets brain trust always had Conforto
projected as the top outfielder in the draft and no one in the organization
expected him to still be around when the 10th pick came around. I
had a friend who was in the Mets war room that night and there were high fives
and dancing when the Mets were able to call in the name ‘Conforto’.
Of
the top 10 picks in that draft, one never signed (#1 Brady
Aiken) and only four have already reached the MLB level… Conforto, #3
pick P Carlos Rodon (9-6, 3.75 for the Chicago
White Sox last year; 1-2, 4.05 in four starts so far this year), #4 pick C Kyle Schwarber (.246 last year for the Chicago White
Sox; only four at-bats and on the disabled list this season), and #7 pick P Aaron Nola (6-2, 3.59, 13-starts last season; 1-2,
4.50, 4-starts this season for the Phillies).
Only
one other first rounders currently is in the majors this season. 13th
pick SS Trea Turner was there for a handful of
games last year, but it’s 17th pick P Brandon
Finnegan pitched six games for the Red last season and he’s had four
starts so much this season.
So,
what class is Conforto entering? Can we consider him for the big three?
Here’s
a set of stat lines from three guys this season:
Bryce Harper - .323/.405/.855/1.260,
9-HR, 23-RBI
Mike Trout -
.300/.405/.529/.933, 4-HR,
9-RBI
Michael
Conforto - .333/.435/.614/1.049,
3-HR, 11-RBI
Did
you think we would get to the point this early in his career (he’s 23-years
old!) to be comparing him to these two guys.
Michael,
I know you are reading this. I hope this brings a smile to your face.
It
does to ours.
14 comments:
I hope Plawecki also now starts to hit consistently to make this entire lineup even more dangerous.
Lets not forget Cabrera has like 1 homer and can still potentially hit up to 15.
If only Wilmer can hit the ball........at all.........for at least a single.
"I don't expect to see Conforto again in a St. Lucie Mets uniform when I go back there because he just simply looks like a major leaguer already, and so good luck to the man as he eventually heads to AA level to hit balls solid off his bat regularly like he did tonight."
Oh and i found this old quote from some macks mets writer named Dove from a 5-29-15 post about Michael conforto. ....
Written less than a year ago, Ernest. Hard to believe it, and great call by you.
Conforto is simply the reincarnation of early Don Mattingly, which is super high praise.
We could have a future HOF on our hands.
Cespedes' eXit velocity on that homer was 111 MPH. FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET FROM SUPER HOMBRE.
Nats off to a 14-5 start, Mets awful in week 1, yet just 2 games behind the Mats. The 100 WIN EXPRESS is rolling. Still time for Yankee fans to climb on board.
I meant to write " just 2 games behind ARE the Mets."
And if Michael Cuddyer hadn't been such a disappointment, Conforto would be in Triple-A right now...
The important thing is he's here now and is producing the kind of numbers everyone had hoped he would do when he was drafted.
You lose some (Nimmo, Cecchini) and then you win some (Conforto) in the first round.
The problem is when it's clear you're losing some, the team is loathe to admit their mistakes and lose face. Consequently the high draft picks get chance after chance after chance while the less flashy signings fight for every game appearance and often only get noticed when multiple injuries occur and there's no other choice available.
Reese, like T J Rivera, the undrafted guy who hits rings around Nimmo. TJ is getting everyday play, Muno none, so T J has vaulted over Muno. Hopefully TJ gets at least a Sept call up this year.
Thomas, for some reason, the TJ's of the world never do.
Never did understand that.
Count Dom Smith as a winner pick. Super high on him.
Can someone explain how Flores who has reached the ML still looks unbalanced at the plate? How do you continuously fall over the plate with each swing?
While Conforto-Trout-Harper would constitute a platinum OF, I don't see Michael as a 40* HR guy.
That next layer, with say, Pollack & Brantley is where I think he'll settle. And that's not too shabby.
Conforto is 'our' Harper and Trout.
Here's to watching him not go 40hr 135RBI but still go .300ba, 20ish homers 100rbis and help the aces get wins and hopefully a world series title within the next 3 years (this year included as a good time)
Anonymous -
Flores has always looked like he's not ready to approach the ball yet. It's just how he's played since a child.
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