It appears Michael Conforto is not interested in playing under Wally Backman with the Las Vegas 51s.
It’s hard to blame him.
12 days ago, after much deliberation and disagreement, the Mets took a leap of faith and called up their prized hitting prospect when they were forced to place Michael Cuddyer on the disabled list. And since then, that prized hitting prospect has driven in six runs in seven games, notched three extra-base hits and posted an OPS of .871 in 23 at-bats.
One of those extra-base hits came on Monday night in Miami when he slugged a second inning, three-run home run to set the tone for a very productive night for the Mets as they set sail on a 12-1 bludgeoning of the deplete Miami Marlins in South Florida.
That home run was the first one in what’s looking like a very promising career for the club’s first selection in the 2014 amateur draft.
“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Conforto said after the rout. “We had an opportunity to get the lead and I was just trying to find a good pitch to hit something hard.”
Anytime a player can hit a home run in that ballpark – especially to right center field as Conforto did on Monday night – it’s an impressive showing. It’s deep, the walls are so high, and the air is so dense inside Marlins Park thanks to the natural humidity in South Florida this time of year.
But Conforto defeated all of those elements on a hard hit line drive home run, hitting it 433 feet according to ESPN’s hit tracker.
The Mets were able to retrieve the ball for their young slugger, who said he intends to give the ball to his grandfather.
“That ball was crushed and that ball goes out of any park,” Terry Collins said emphatically. “He is going to be such a good hitter. When he gets around this league and sees the pitching and what’s going on, he’s going to be a dynamic offensive player.”
There’s was always very little doubt Conforto will be an offensive force in this league. He was a two-time Pac 12 Player of the Year while at Oregon State University, both of which he earned as a sophomore and Junior. He tore through the New York-Penn League with the Cyclones in his first professional season last year, and looked like a a giant as he wore out the pitcher-friendly Florida State and Eastern Leagues up until just 12 days ago.
And here he is now, showing off his sweet swing and poise, looking like the polished and mature hitter everyone in the organization expected him to be when they drafted him, albeit a year or so before they believed he would be in the big leagues.
If not for a pinched nerve in Kirk Nieuwenhuis’ upper back, Conforto might have had to wait at least a month before having this new opportunity to hit his first big league home run. He was optioned to Las Vegas early Saturday to make room for Yoenis Cespedes on the roster.
But knowing Nieuwenhuis could soon land on the disabled list, the Mets told Conforto to stick around in New York and not fly west to meet the Mets Triple-A affiliate.
On Sunday, the Mets did in fact transfer Nieuwnhuis to the disabled list, opening a new opportunity for Conforto to be a part of what could be a magical ride down the stretch of the season.
“I understood the situation completely, they explained it to me,” Conforto said about his demotion 48 hours earlier. “Obviously, coming back, it was great news. I was excited and you try not to ride that roller coaster too much, but definitely glad I’m back. I’m definitely glad I had the opportunity.”
With the way his defense has progressed in left field – something the organization has been very, very pleased with in his first full years as a professional – it’s going to be hard not to afford him an everyday opportunity here if he continues to show his bat belongs at this level. The solution would be to have him in left field, Yoenis Cespedes in center, and Curtis Granderson in right, leaving Lagares relegated to the part-time role he has found himself in anyway.
As is the case with a lot of their young players, the club will have to be mindful of Conforto’s stamina down the stretch. He has said himself there have been times when he’s hit a wall over the course of this season, which can be attributed to the trials of his first full, long season in his life.
But each time, their promising young outfielder has pushed through that barrier and shown to be an even greater offensive force.
Just Mets 