Mets outfielder Michael Conforto looked like one of the brightest young stars in baseball last season, his age-24 campaign, when he slashed .279/.384/.555 with 27 home runs and racked up 4.3 fWAR. Conforto piled up those stellar numbers over just 440 plate appearances before undergoing season-ending left shoulder surgery in early September, and because of that injury, the Mets went into the winter unsure of what he’d provide in 2018.
To Conforto’s credit, he worked his way back to the Mets’ lineup a few weeks earlier than expected, making his season debut on April 5. At that point, New York was amid a red-hot start that would see the team collect 11 wins in its first 12 games. Two months later, the Mets are a lowly 27-34, owners of the third-worst record in the National League and the NL’s second-worst offense by runs scored (235).
Even though he owns the majors’ 11th-best walk percentage (15.1), Conforto hasn’t really been part of the solution, having hit an uninspiring .219/.340/.365 line with seven homers in 212 PAs. The Mets even pinch-hit for him in the ninth inning of a one-run loss to the Yankees on Saturday, electing to sit the left-handed Conforto in favor of the righty-swinging Devin Mesoraco with southpaw Aroldis Chapman on the mound.
Unfortunately for Conforto, there may be a more significant demotion on the way if he doesn’t turn his season around soon. The Mets have considered sending Conforto to Triple-A Las Vegas to work through his issues, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. The likelihood of that has decreased over the past day, Sherman notes, given that fellow outfielder Yoenis Cespedes suffered a setback in his injury rehab on Saturday. Had Cespedes remained on track, New York may well have optioned Conforto upon the veteran’s return. For his part, Conforto – whom the Mets previously sent to the minors during a disappointing 2016 – doesn’t believe he’d benefit from another trip to Vegas.
“Triple-A is not an answer. I’ve been through that,” he said. “I have done all I can do down there. I play at this level, that’s it.”
While Conforto understandably wants to remain in the majors, the Mets may have an outfield logjam on their hands when Cespedes does come back. He and the emergent Brandon Nimmo will be guaranteed starting jobs, manager Mickey Callaway informed Sherman, leaving one everyday spot for the struggling Jay Bruce (in the first season of a three-year, $39MM contract) and Conforto. Both players are lefty hitters, so the Mets wouldn’t be able to simply platoon them, and Conforto has options remaining. As such, the Mets may send him down so he’ll continue receiving consistent at-bats.
In another scenario, Sherman points out that Bruce and/or Cespedes could see time at first, which would perhaps spell the end of the Adrian Gonzalez era. The Mets brought Gonzalez in over the winter as a league-minimum free agent, but it hasn’t worked to this point. They’re mulling how much longer they want to go with Gonzalez, Jose Reyes and Jose Bautista – three mid-30-somethings whose best days appear long gone. Moving on from some or all of that group instead of demoting Conforto would seem to make more sense for a New York club that doesn’t look as if it’s going to contend this season, though it seems Conforto’s going to have to make a case for a roster spot as the team awaits Cespedes’ return.
While Conforto’s bottom-line production has declined this year, his underlying numbers have also worsened. After running up a .385 expected weighted on-base average a year ago, he’s at .332 this season. That’s still above the .321 league average, though it’s not the borderline elite figure he posted in 2017, when he averaged a 95.2 mph exit velocity on fly balls/line drives and made 95 mph-plus contact on 43.2 percent of batted balls. This season, Conforto has posted a 92.3 mph mean on flies/liners and seen his rate of 95 mph-plus contact drop to 32.8. Further, Conforto’s line drive rate has dropped off considerably since 2017 (from 24.4 percent to 17.7), while both his groundball percentage (37.8 to 41.9) and infield fly rate (10.1 percent to 14.0) have increased to discouraging degrees.
All of the above has helped add up to Conforto’s subpar start and may lead to a minor league demotion sometime soon. For now, he and his team, losers of eight straight (all at home), are left to dig out of a deep hole. Having scored just 10 runs this month, during which Conforto has batted .080/.207/.200 in 29 PAs, the Mets sit 8.5 games out in both their division and a crowded NL wild-card race.
“I don’t want to be demoted. I play at this level. And by play, I mean suck and I’m a crybaby who’s hurting the team by how awful I am.”
and “I play at this level, that’s it.” Michael Conforto’s level of play is poor at best. The Mets always seem to be loaded with arrogant delusional type players.
The Tigers wanted him two off-seasons ago but, I really hope they don’t anymore. Some GM out there might want him.
Find me a major league player that wants to go to AAA, and I’ll show you someone who isn’t a major league player.
Here is a guy whose swing and especially his bat speed were and are affected by his shoulder operation. The Mets would be derelict if they would not send him to the minors to regain strength in his shoulder and hopefully regain his hitting ability. He should be sent to St. Lucir for two reasons. One, the competition will not be as difficult as Triple A and this being the Mets Spring Training Site, he will be monitored by the Training Staff. A shoulder injury is more difficult to rehab because when a muscle is cut it loses a lot of its strength and atrophy may set in if the player does follow the rehab routine properly. Arrogance does not solve the problem.
Does Not
28 other teams would be interested if Detroit wasn’t
He just needs some more time to regain trust in his shoulder,
RD, you have the mets starting job. Show us how better of a ballplayer you are. Gluck today
Send the whole team down.
Best comment!
Million dollar question. Why is Jose Reyes on this team??? This is coming from a Yankees fan. They no young talent to replace him? Are they that depleted down on the farm? Reyes has to go!!
I’m surprised he made contact against Chapman last night.
They’re both contact hitters.
Boom
Loyalty I guess. There was a report of the Mets wanting to release him, but “he’s done so much for this franchise it’d be a disservice to release him there’s to much history”
They have Ahmed Rosario and Gavin Cecchini who can both play shortstop even though he’s lining up more at third than short.
And this is why the Mets will continue to go nowhere
How is changing the utility player going to help? Reyes stinks but whoever is filling in on the off nights is not going to turn around the team.
How would sending him down affect hi service clock?
The Mets should seriously consider playing gimmick signings like Tim Tebow, Michael Jordan, Jerry Seinfeld, and Billy Crystal, and putting them on the 25 man roster and playing them in major league games.
MLB would surely chastise them for turning their sport into a circus, but they would likely play no worse than anyone in their system, so ownership could legitimately argue they’re trying to play the most entertaining, quality players they could find.
They’d also sell more tickets, and in all liklihood that roster would be taken more seriously by fans that what they’re fielding now.
Coupons have noted this in their agenda for next week’s meeting.
Tebow Time
I would go for that
Might as well, would definitely drive some ticket sales
Adrian Gonzalez
Jose Reyes
Jose Bautista
These three do not belong in MLB.
Omar Minaya does not belong in MLB as an executive.
Why are these four employed by the Mets? Because Fred Wilpon should not be allowed to own an MLB team and everyone knew that more than ten years ago.
The fish rots from the head.
JP Ricciardi was a much worse executive than Omar Minaya. Probably still is.
They are employed because they are cheap. Can’t blame the execs. They can only do so much with that budget.
You’re clueless about Minaya. He’s a failed GM, but has an excellent eye and pulse for talent. Sandy and his guys have been in absolute disaster in that realm and it shows with all their failed draft picks and international signings.
And add to the list of bloated never were “wanna be’s” is TC who’s contributions this season include mastering the expresso machine so Jeff gets exactly what wants.
I find it funny that leadership can’t keep the key players off the DL. Thor is a prefect example. He’s like David Price who use the DL to avoid the Yankees. It’s a great message to tell his teammates.
You don’t know what you are talking about. Sure Reyes doesn’t belong and Adrian Gonzalez doesn’t, but give Conforto time. He’s a young star who had a freak injury and is still recovering/getting his timing back. He’ll be fine, the talent is there, the health isn’t quite yet.
You think the GM is calling the shots? You are adorable!! Jeff Wilpon is pulling the strings. There’s articles written about it. You could also ask Peter Gammons
Trade Conforto to the Orioles for Chris Davis and a Bag full of cash
No one is taking Davis off your hands, and why would anyone give up something to do that even if you paid his *entire* contract? You’re kidding right?
LOL, What do you think.
This all stinks of Jeff Wilpon meddling. The owners have got to go.
“The owners have got to go.”
Yet they are going nowhere.
You are a broken record Flaw. If the fans don’t try then they are fools for supporting this team in anyway.
The Wilpon’s interest in the team is to use it is a piggy bank.
“You are a broken record Flaw.”
That’s pretty funny coming from you, mikeyank. Once again you dropped in on a Mets thread solely to troll Mets fans. Guess the removal of our last sub thread wasn’t a sufficient clue. Don’t you have anything constructive to do.
“The Wilpons interest in the team is to use it is a piggy bank.” (sic)
Breaking News: All MLB owners are capitalists, every single one of them. Even the Steinbrenners.
Josh Harrison straight up for conforto conforto reports to Indianapolis tommorow let’s make it happen
If the Mets plan on cashing in on this whole Tebow thing, this is probably the year to do it.
Mets need to trade everyone they can. They suck
Please don’t count the Dodgers among your “28 Teams other teams interested” in Crybaby Conforto. Absolutely no thank you!!
I’ve got to imagine that after a while it can get frustrating playing for the Mets and their dysfunctional organization. It’s no wonder many of their players under perform.
The Mets are the Cleveland Browns of Major League Baseball !
So another Met who doesn’t want to go to the minors to try to get better? How did that work out for Matt Harvey
First the Mets rush him back to the majors before his shoulder has time to get its strength back. Now they want to send him down and he is upset. His agent is Boras. Fix him and trade him because he won’t be staying. Ps. Notice the similarity to Harvey balking about going to AAA. Of course Harvey might have thought they said AA.
Nice jab at the end there
Conforto has a .4 war and over a .700 ops. It’s not Michael Conforto numbers, but it’s 4th outfielder type numbers, and on a team like the Mets, probably an everyday player. I don’t see why there’s all the negativity here, Jay Bruce is worse, he should be benched. And there are plenty of players in the MLB with starting jobs who have done less for their team than Conforto has for the Mets.
His struggles aside, signing Jay Bruce was one of the dumbest moves of the offseason. Overpay a guy in his 30s to create a logjam in the OF and at 1B, brilliant!!!
I think Conforto just needs time to get his injury farther behind him and get some of his timing back. He’ll be perfectly fine next year, and I believe he should start to hit more as the season progresses.
Right now there are multiple ownerships that are ruining their teams and causing a huge divide between the good and the bad teams.
The hardest part is, there’s nothing anybody can really do. It would be much too expensive for the league to buy out the Wilpons, Angelos etc. in the short term, which will prevent it from happening despite the potential for long term profitability.
I don’t envy Mickey Callaway who must have nightmares about making that lineup card every day. How do you cobble together a competitive lineup when you have so many BAs that begin with .1 or .20? I guess no matter how bad it gets you just have to be thankful you don’t have to plug Chris Davis in on a daily basis.
should of already happen .. he hitting 220 and strikeout rate very high
Another year, another player ruined by upper management.