The odds of Michael Conforto winning the MVP this season with the year Fernando Tatis Jr. and Freddie Freeman are having is very slim, but the New York Mets star right fielder has put together an All-Star season. Conforto has been the best hitter for a team that has not much success this season. However, New York would not even have a slim chance if it wasn’t for the season of Conforto.
Statistics
Michael Conforto has started all but one game this season and has been hitting for both average and power. He is batting nearly .100 points higher than he did last season at .328. While it is a shortened season with only 60 games, Conforto was on pace to hit close to 30 home runs and reach 100 RBI’s for the first time in his career.
One of the most underrated parts of Conforto’s game is his defense. After coming up as a prospect that was a liability on defense, he has played incredible in right field. He made perhaps the play of the season earlier this month with a tremendous catch hitting the wall and saving three runs against the Baltimore Orioles.
The most impressive part of his season has been his ability to go the other way. Conforto has multiple opposite-field home runs this season as he did when he was in the minor leagues. As Keith Hernandez always says, no ballpark can hold Conforto when he connects, and that has been on display all year.
Big Pay Day
Michael Conforto’s big payday is coming soon. The Mets will need to reach an agreement and avoid arbitration at the end of this season with Conforto before becoming a free agent in 2021. If the Mets were to sign him to a long term contract, it would not be surprising to see New York offer Conforto over $100 million. The Mets have never had much success with Scott Boras in the past. The current General Manager, Brodie Van Wagenen, is a former agent who had a rivalry with Boras and that can complicate the negotiations.
As Conforto keeps hitting, his stock his only rising. J.D. Martinez reached a five-year agreement recently for six years and $110 million. Conforto is 27 years old which is three years younger than Martinez when he signed his contract. Despite Martinez being the more prolific hitter Conforto is a far superior defensive player.
“I have the awareness that there is that uncertainty … of where I’m going to end up,” Conforto said in February. “I would love to stay here. This is all I know. So we’ll see what happens two years down the road, but right now, this year feels like a special one. So let’s focus on that for now.”
For now, the focus for Conforto will be on making the playoffs. With only seven games remaining in the regular season, his bat will be pivotal if the Mets want to have a shot. If he can get hot and carry New York to the playoffs with a memorable last week, he could find himself in the top-3 in the MVP voting.
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