Just Mets

There isn’t any stopping Michael Conforto right now.

The two-time Florida State League Player of the Week and fourth-best prospect in the Mets system has lived up to all of the pomp and circumstance that came with him when the Mets made him the tenth overall selection in the 2014 first-year player draft last June, as he’s hit .310/.389/.506 with nine home runs and 40 RBI in 280 plate appearances over 63 games between Single-A St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton in 2015.

After acing his early season test in the Florida State League – to the point the opposition simply stopped pitching to him regularly – Conforto was transferred to Double-A Binghamton, arguably the greatest challenge for a minor league player to overcome. But Conforto has done anything but disappoint since being promoted, posting a .393/.500/.639 line with two home runs and 12 RBI in 74 plate appearances in the Eastern League.

“I just try to keep it simple, and try to take things day to day, not try to look ahead and wishing I was in a different league,” Conforto told JustMets.net. “I try to keep my game the same, and keep playing the same way.”

Somewhat surprisingly, the sweet-swinging left-handed hitter began to struggle against left-handed pitching midway during his stint with the St. Lucie Mets – e only hit .200 with a .654 OPS against southpaws in Florida. However, those struggles did not carry over upon being promoted to Binghamton in early June – he’s hit .409 with a 1.200 OPS against left-handed pitching in the Eastern League.

“I went through a rough patch in High-A. I did come out very hot, and there was some adjustment there by the pitchers,” Conforto explained. “I got away from my approach and it started to snowball into me getting a little antsy against left-handed pitching. I was swinging at pitches I normally wouldn’t. When I came [to Binghamton], it kind of reset things in a way. I told myself to get back to what I was doing before, and try to keep things simple.”

Conforto’s skills with the bat were always understood. He was tremendous at Oregon State University up until the point he was drafted last year. But his defense – something which will eventually be critical in the large spaces in Citi Field – was somewhat of a question mark coming in.

It was a fair question after all, as the outfield is still very new to Conforto. He didn’t start playing out there until his college career began. But organization officials have been colored impressed with his quick evolvement defensively, and it’s something Conforto has worked tireless at to improve since he signed with the Mets just about a year ago.

“Its definitely improved. I am a better all around player,” Conforto explained. “Coming in, it was a big emphasis for me. I knew I had the bat, but there was some criticism about the way I was playing in the field. I didn’t take that the wrong way – I took it as a challenge. I came ready to work on my skills in the outfield.

“There is still room for improvement,” he continued. “I will never be perfect out there. I can work hard and do the best i can out there. Ive had some mistakes out there already, but Ive learned from them.”

The organization’s plan, for now anyway, is for Conforto to complete his first full, long season with Double-A Binghamton. While he’s an exciting and somewhat unusual talent in the Mets system, he lacks a lot of professional experience so far. As he said, while there has been vast improvements with his defense, there’s still work for him to do in the outfield, and despite the immediate need for offense in both Las Vegas and the big leagues, Conforto’s development will likely remain independent of those needs for the time being.

Of course, plans change quickly in baseball. If he continues to dominate teams in the Eastern League and opposing pitchers stop pitching to Conforto, the team will have very few reasons to keep him at Double-A for the duration of 2015.

But even if he’s primed and ready for a promotion to the big leagues, it’s logical to conclude a promotion will not come until at least late April, at the earliest. There’s the business side of things which the Mets need to consider when it comes to Conforto and his agent, Scott Boras, and ensuring they can maximize Conforto’s years of his control. Its unlikely to be a factor today while he’s in the Eastern League, but count on it being a factor in the decision making process for Conforto in 2016.

Conforto is not concerned about when his next promotion will be. He understands there’s a process.

“Im working to be the best player I can. And when I get the call, hopefully I’m ready to contribute,” Conforto concluded.