EXPECTATIONS FOR 18: Michael Conforto

[Edgy MD]

I may be the best hitter on this team. But I spent a good chunk of 2016 playing my way off the team and playing my way back, and then I spent a good chunk of 2017 as an All-Star and another chunk broken.

Broken, like the windows of the Montessori Hebrew school I used to hit baseballs through. Back when I was king of the playground. Broken, like Jennifer's heart after that vampire bitch Angelina stole Brad. Like our electoral system. Like the fallen world and the state of mankind's soul. Broken, broken, and broke.

Yeah that was 2017, but you might be able to tell, it's not quite out my head yet. We're talking May 1 for a return date. But a dislocated back shoulder? The back one? On a non-contact swing? That's a freaky thing. And I'm telling you, I don't know if I'll really have my mojo back until I've had a couple of those flailing swings and misses on the sliders away. That's what really jars your shoulder. But the back one? How does that work?

So, May 1. Or June 1. Or July 1. I'll let you know. Or better yet, you tell me. What's my 2018 going to look like?

[fimg=122]http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2301354.1437626758!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/conforto23s-4-web.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=289]https://mediadownloads.mlb.com/mlbam/2015/07/26/images/mlbf_295486983_th_45.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=289]https://mediadownloads.mlb.com/mlbam/2017/05/22/images/mlbf_1407692383_th_45.jpg[/fimg]
[fimg=313]https://images1.minutemediacdn.com/production/912x516/59777fe4ab0f2de60d000009.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=119]https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/conforto1.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=268]https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/michael_conforto.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=618&h=410&crop=1[/fimg]
[fimg=283]https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/25/sports/baseball/25mets2/merlin-to-scoop-126332726-16534-master768.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=283]https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/g8eHcfUTUJixV6UaIti8kb7KlNk=/0x0:3515x2254/1200x800/filters:focal(1327x1389:1889x1951)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56349703/usa_today_10236771.0.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=134]http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.3443114.1503706020!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/ackertcolweb26s-4wa-web.jpg[/fimg]

Look at that douche Chris Herman tagging me. Yeah, I get it, douche. I struck out. I'm also lying here in agony, with my career on the line. You could act like you give a shit. Yeah, fine, you've got to complete the play, but throw it to first or something. Be a dude.

I'm so looking forward to kicking that guy's ass.

CLNA9rL91vQ

[Guest d'Kong76]

Struggles to get back ino the swing of things and is in and out of the
picture all year. 80 games, tops.

[smg58]

Picks up where he left off, gives us 120 solid games with something close to the .279/.384/.559 line he put up last year.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I say he'll debut around May 10. 20 homers. (Those homers will be spread throughout the season. I'm not saying that he'll hit 20 homers on May 10.)

[Centerfield]

smg58 wrote: Picks up where he left off, gives us 120 solid games with something close to the .279/.384/.559 line he put up last year.

I'll go with this. Hope he improves against lefties though.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Centerfield wrote: smg58 wrote: Picks up where he left off, gives us 120 solid games with something close to the .279/.384/.559 line he put up last year. I'll go with this. Hope he improves against lefties though.

I'll third this. Will be hard to unseat Zimmo, but Ces probably misses half the year again.

[Zvon]

Conforto will freakin' rake! He will out homer Bruce and Cespedes. Don't question it!

[Ceetar]

124 G. April 25th debut. .275/.375/.525 5.1 fWAR

NLCS MVP.

[Edgy MD]

Has reached base in 20 straight games, but hasn't put up an extra base hit in forever, and is now slugging .317.

This is:
a) a slump?
a reflection of a small sample size?
c) the reality of hitting the field without much of a spring training?
d) the reality of who he is after the shoulder dislocation?
e) something else?
f) some combination of the above?

[Guest d'Kong76]

This is really about Nimmo getting more AB's, right?

[Edgy MD]

.317!!

[Guest d'Kong76]

I saw! Just busting your chops, you mention Nimmo like three time a day
now. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[Vic Sage]

Edgy MD wrote: Has reached base in 20 straight games, but hasn't put up an extra base hit in forever, and is now slugging .317. This is: a) a slump? a reflection of a small sample size? c) the reality of hitting the field without much of a spring training? d) the reality of who he is after the shoulder dislocation? e) something else? f) some combination of the above?

yes.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm going to say A and C. I think that at the end of the season his numbers will look really good.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Reminds me a little bit of the radical and prolonged slump that got him eventually sent down to AAA to correct. Still looks capable at times but not scary enough.

[Edgy MD]

Another option is that he's just overdoing it in trying to behave like a leadoff hitter. That .390 on-base percentage will play, even as the rest of his line looks anemic and depressed.

[nymr83]

Yeah, keep doing the .390 thing and hope pitchers see the .317 and decide to attack the middle of the plate.