Un-Conforto-able to watch

[Frayed Knot]

Or maybe just the Conforto death-watch.

- He HR'd on opening day and hasn't since

- His only other XBHs this season (76 ABs) are 3 doubles, only one of which has come since April 13

- Since April 13 he's 8/58 for a slash line of .137/.287/.155

- He's K'd 8 times in his last 13 ABs and has managed one ball out of the infield (FO to RF) in his last 3 starts

- And probably most disturbing of all, as Keith & Ron noted this weekend, is that he seems to be getting pitches to hit but is simply missing them.
Even in that horrid post-4/13 slash line is evidence that he's continued to draw walks (13 in 58 AB/73 PA) which at least implies that he's not
merely chasing garbage.



This is certainly reminiscent of (though not yet as long as) the stretch in 2016 [.169 in May, .119 in June] which drove him to the minors for nearly a month.
And while it would be nice to think that stint in Vegas 'cured' him, it really didn't as he pretty much treaded water at his pre-demotion level for the rest of the
season, not really bouncing back until the calendar changed to 2017
I'm stumped for a solution, or even for an explanation.

[smg58]

I get the sense that he came back way before he was ready. Between that, how horrible Vargas has looked, and DeGrom almost being rushed back before somebody came to their senses, I'm beginning to fear that the Mets learned absolutely nothing from last season's misadventures.

[Frayed Knot]

I dunno, he was at .333/.478/.611 six games into his season [6 for 18 w/half his hits for XB + 5 BB] so it's tough to make the case that he was rushed/not ready.
I mean, yeah, that's a small sample, but we're dealing entirely with small (or small-ish) samples here, and he certainly doesn't look injured and/or limited in the box.
He simply isn't making contact.

[Edgy MD]

Well, he's swinging underneath most hard stuff. It certainly seems to make some sense to pitch up to a guy coming off a dislocation of his front shoulder, and it's sure working. He's as vulnerable up as Mike Jacobs. And Mike Jacobs is retired.

[Fman99]

Does he have options? Send him out to Vegas where everyone hits .380.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Yeah, I think Vegas might be the thing for him. Give him two or three weeks to play regularly.

[MFS62]

Fman99 wrote: Does he have options? Send him out to Vegas where everyone hits .380.

Except members of the Las Vegas team.

Who would have thought we would all be waiting for the next Cabrera at bat to see some offense?

Later

[Centerfield]

Yeah, 2016 was puzzling and alarming. I was willing to write that off as just an aberration but he looks like that again now doesn't he?

[Edgy MD]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Yeah, I think Vegas might be the thing for him. Give him two or three weeks to play regularly.

I'm as ignorant as most everybody else, but I'm not sure regular playing time is what he needs. He may need to play less and get more rest and recovery and exercise time during the week.

[TransMonk]

Send him down to figure it out. A Nimmo/Lagares platoon seems favorable at least in the short term.

[Frayed Knot]

I'm sure they'll at least wait and see if 3 consecutive right-handers and Great American Ballpark do anything for him.