Michael Conforto is off to a phenomenal start in his first full professional season.
The 22-year-old outfield prospect is hitting .324 with six home runs and 19 RBI with 12 walks and five intentional passes in 87 plate appearances.
Conforto has hit in all but five of the 19 games he’s played in this year, and has seven multiple-hit games over that span. He earned Florida State League player of the week honors the first week of the season.
His performance have led people to wonder when he might earn himself a promotion to Double-A Binghamton. Promotions usually take place in mid-to-late June in the minor leagues, but according to Marc Carig of Newsday, Conforto could earn himself a promotion to Binghamton as early as May.
Aside from his stellar performance, Carig says Conforto is being pitched around to such a high degree in the Florida State League and losing opportunities to hit as a result.
The jump from Single-A to Double-A is arguably the toughest in the minor leagues, but it’s clear Conforto’s bat is very advanced for the Florida State League. That alone warrants a reward, but the fact the bat is starting to be taken out of his hands doesn’t do him any good. He would likely get a fairer test at Double-A, and he might very well belong there regardless.
As far as his timetable is concerned, something unusual and unexpected would have to happen for him to reach the big leagues in 2015. He has only 61 professional games under his belt, and while the team says they’re encouraged by his progress defensively, the outfield is still very new to him.
My educated guess is this discussion can be tabled until this time next year. But even if he continues this torrid pace to the big leagues, it’s hard to see where he might fit at this level if Michael Cuddyer and Curtis Granderson are both healthy and producing in 2016.
Like everything else, these things tend to work themselves out, so let’s see what happens with Conforto and how the outfield situation here plays out.
Just Mets 