10/4/18

Throwback Thursday - Draft 14: A Quick Look at: OF Michael Conforto



Michael Conforto

5-28-13 - Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State - After hitting .349 with 14 doubles, 13 home runs, 76 RBI and a slash line of .438/.601/1.039 as a freshman last year, the 6’-1”, 200-pound left-hander was showered with awards and had high expectations coming into this year. After nine games, he was hitting .273 with two doubles, no home runs and four RBI. On Saturday, he went 3-for-7 in a double-header with his first two home runs of the season and five RBI. On Sunday, he went 3-for-5 with two more home runs and seven RBI. The bat has woken up, and I expect a full on assault coming for one of the best overall hitters in the 2014 MLB draft. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft/29840#fm24otWuYCEocLQZ.99

6-9-13 -  28.Michael Conforto, OF (Oregon State): The PAC-12 outfielder has a quality hit tool and improving approach, but will need to hit for more power. Even so, he has a high floor. http://www.minorleaguerundown.com/2013/06/09/2014-mlb-draft-top-30-prospects/

6-10-13 -  Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State - A scout’s quick take on Conforto was that “This kid can flat out rake. I think he’s going to be the best bat in the Pac-12 next year, if not in 2013.”  He has very good bat speed with lift.  The term “the ball jumps off his bat” is one of the most overused in baseball, but it is definitely appropriate in Conforto’s case. http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/06/10/2014-mlb-draft-early-college-names-to-know/

6-12-13 - Player:  Michael Conforto   Position:  OF   School:  Oregon State   Date of Birth:  3/1/1993   Height/Weight:  6’1/215   Bats/Throws:  L/R   2014 Class:  College Junior
Scouting Report:   One of the top college bats for 2014   Strong, muscular build
 Open stance   Smooth swing with lift   Excellent bat speed   Plus raw power
 Ball jumps off bat

6-9-13 - 21. Arizona Diamondbacks — Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State - After an incredible freshman season in which he hit .349 over 58 games with 14 doubles, 13 home runs, 76 RBI and a .438 OBP/.601 SLG, the 6’-1”, 215 pound left-hander has regressed a bit his sophomore year. Over 58 games, he is hitting .326 with nine home runs, 42 RBI and a .450 OBP/.501 SLG. While he has improved his walk rate and approach, the power numbers are down. A great talent, he should be among the better college bats available in the 2014 MLB draft. He has been a little inconsistent in the outfield this season but shows enough to hold down a corner outfield spot. http://beforeitsnews.com/sports/2013/06/2014-mlb-mock-draft-1-0-no-time-like-the-present-2513748.html?currentSplittedPage=2

7-17-13 –  Mike Conforto, OF, Oregon State - Conforto has a strong, sturdy build at 6'1, 215" that looks like it's all muscle.  He's not going to wow you with his tools the way Turner does but he makes hard contact consistently, including a pair of HRs in the Tuesday game.  His bat is his main weapon as he should hit for average that he'll supplement with walks and above average power.  Defensively he's probably relegated to LF.  He's a little thick legged and doesn't have great range nor did he display good arm strength.  That puts a tremendous burden on his bat, but it looks like it's capable of carrying the load. http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2013/07/looking-ahead-to-the-2014-and-2015-mlb-draft-notes-from-the-collegiate-national-team-games/

7-21-13 - Cuba’s Norge Ruiz dominated his first time through the order, striking out five of the first nine batters faced. The second time through the order got off to a strong start for Team USA as Trea Turner (NC State) opened the fourth with a base hit to left center. LSU’s Alex Bregman followed with a base knock to give Team USA a pair of base runners. With one out and runners on the corners, Michael Conforto (Oregon State) broke the scoreless tie with a sacrifice fly to left. http://ht.ly/2yvWIz
  
8-14-13 – Through The Fence – Top 50 Prospects – 11. Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State - Maybe the best pure hitter available in the 2014 MLB draft, the 6’-2”, 215-pound right-hander uses the whole field and has a great approach at the plate. I got a chance to see him hit when the Collegiate National team played at Kane County, and I was extremely impressed by the way he handles himself at the plate — waiting for his pitch and driving it to the gaps with ease. He hit .328/.447/.526 over 65 games as a sophomore with 11 home runs and 41 walks. He’s not going to steal many bases, and he will most likely end up in left field. His bat is what will land him in the first round. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-top-50-prospects/36463#mwWwsFxSUZy7YC5V.99   

9-4-13 – Mack’s Mock Draft v1.0 – 12 – OF - Michael Conforto – Oregon State – This is a 6-1 bulldog type hitter. Michael Choice-like projected power.  I expect he will end this upcoming season as one of the top power hitters in college.

9-30-13 – TTF Mock 2.0 - 18. New York Yankees — Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State Maybe the best pure hitter available in the 2014 MLB draft, the 6’-2”, 215-pound right-hander uses the whole field and has a great approach at the plate. Surprising that he falls this far in the 2014 MLB mock draft, I got a chance to see him hit when the Collegiate National team played at Kane County, and I was extremely impressed by the way he handles himself at the plate — waiting for his pitch and driving it to the gaps with ease. He hit .328/.447/.526 over 65 games as a sophomore with 11 home runs and 41 walks. He’s not going to steal many bases, and he will most likely end up in left field. His bat is what will land him in the first round. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-mock-draft-2-0-draft-order-set/38280#5E3F5j1jWOgE69bJ.99

9-29-13 – XMLBScout – 15.) OF, Michael Conforto, Oregon St, 5'11 190, L/L, a hitter with good enough defensive skills to reach ML, shows short compact stroke with gap power to RF, should hit 15-20 HR in pro ball, enough speed to be respected and defensively won't be a liability, best suited for the corner OF. Top 4 round guy for 2014! One of best offensive tools hitter coming out of the college ranks for 2014. http://xmlbscout.angelfire.com/

10-14-13 – Top ’14 College Hitters - 13. Michael Conforto / LF-1B / Oregon State — He likely won’t provide much value with the glove or on the bases, but he’s been extremely productive for Oregon State and should hit enough to stick in left field someday. http://mlbdraftinsider.com/2013/10/top-14-for-14-college-hitters/

10-15-13 – Baseball America - 18. Michael Conforto, of, Oregon State: More swing and miss than scouts would like mitigate a physical, powerful corner profile. http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/2014-draft-top-50-october-2013-carlos-rodon/

11-27-13 – Big League Futures Top 25 Poll –  11 Derek Fisher    OF Virginia http://bigleaguefutures.net/1/2013/11/26/mlb-draft-top-25-prospects-poll/

B/R – 11-21-13 - 28. Oakland Athletics: Michael Conforto, OF/1B, Oregon State University - A 6’1”, 215-pound left-hander hitter, Michael Conforto stands out for his power potential—but unfortunately not much else. Conforto is a mature hitter with plus raw power thanks to above-average bat speed and an ability to consistently drive the ball with backspin carry. Because he’s gradually adjusted his approach over the last year to produce more in-game power, the utility of his hit tool may be tied to his strikeout rate. Defensively, Conforto is limited to left field due to below-average arm strength and speed, as well as his shaky instincts and stiff actions. And if he eventually moves to first base, well, there will be even more pressure for his power to develop.  http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1860341-2014-mlb-mock-draft-early-first-round-projections-for-all-30-teams/page/10

1-3-14 – TTF Baseball - 26. Oakland Athletics — Michael Conforto, OF, Oregon State - One of the better bats available in the 2014 MLB draft, the 6’-2”, 215 pound right-hander uses the whole field and has a great approach at the plate. I got a chance to see him hit when the Collegiate National team played at Kane County, and I was extremely impressed by the way he handles himself at the plate — waiting for his pitch and driving it to the gaps with ease. He hit .328/.447/.526 over 65 games as a sophomore with 11 home runs and 41 walks. He’s not going to steal many bases, and he will most likely end up in left field. His bat is what will land him in the first round. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-draft-2/40753#ppGUqI6CbWFvzsPf.99 

3 comments:

Reese Kaplan said...

It's rare under Sandy Alderson when they drafted bats. Thankfully this time they did.

Tom Brennan said...

Hopefully, Conforto, fully recovered from injury, will hit as good or better than Luke Voit in 2019.

How do the Yanks always get guys like him? Voit did little 'til they got him, then, of course, he has 132 at bats, 14 HR, 33 RBI, .333/.405/.689. A minimum wage guy. HOW DO THEY DO IT?

TexasGusCC said...

Tom, they do it you having a 30 person analytics department looking through and for everything. Of course, we've learned that the Mets' 3 person analytics department works wonders, but, I'm told they're not allowed to sleep more than six hours a night.