AB | 438 |
---|---|
AVG | .237 |
OBP | .309 |
SLG | .45 |
HR | 20 |
- Full name Michael Thomas Conforto
- Born 03/01/1993 in Seattle, WA
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: L / Throws: R
- School Oregon State
- Debut 07/24/2015
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Drafted in the 1st round (10th overall) by the New York Mets in 2014 (signed for $2,970,800).
View Draft Report
While other college and high school position players have better all-around tools, Conforto ranks as the best present hitter in the 2014 draft. He has had a monster junior season for Oregon State, building off his first two seasons when he was an All-Freshman selection in 2012 and led the Beavers to Omaha in 2013. Listed at 6-foot-2, 217 pounds, Conforto has present strength and above-average bat speed. He has controlled his aggressiveness as a junior, taming a swing that got too big over the summer with Team USA. He's become a more selective hitter, ranking second in the country in walks and first in on-base percentage while hitting .410 though the first week in May. After hitting 24 homers in his first two seasons combined, Conforto had just five thus far as a junior, giving some evaluators pause because he's a bat-first player. He has plus raw power and should project to hit 20-25 annually. He also has improved his fringy outfield defense, which is seen as adequate for left field, with average arm strength that doesn't always play. Conforto has shown playmaking ability with the glove, however, with show-stopper plays in the College World Series last year and key outfield assists in games against rival Oregon.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Conforto ranked fourth in NCAA Division I with 55 walks and a .504 on-base percentage as an Oregon State junior in 2014, when the Mets drafted him 10th overall because they were drawn to his power-and-patience approach. The first-team All-American signed for $2,970,800 and enjoyed a fine pro debut at short-season Brooklyn, showing why he ranked as the No. 1 hitter on the Mets' draft board. Conforto generates easy power in batting practice but tends to work the gaps in games with a powerful lefthanded stroke. He can hammer the ball the other way, but he still has room to unlock more power by turning on inside fastballs to pull them for home runs, and the Mets say he has the most usable power in the system. Conforto's discipline, presence and middle-field approach practically guarantee that he will hit for average, while those same attributes will help him get on base at a high clip and could help him unlock above-average power. Some scouts project his home runs potential as merely average, however. A below-average runner who already has maxed out his frame, Conforto will be limited to left field with average at best range and arm strength. By drafting Conforto, the Mets' scouting department broke a three-year run of selecting high school position players in the first round, and given his polish, he could arrive in New York at some point in 2016. The next step is high Class A St. Lucie in 2015.
Draft Prospects
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While other college and high school position players have better all-around tools, Conforto ranks as the best present hitter in the 2014 draft. He has had a monster junior season for Oregon State, building off his first two seasons when he was an All-Freshman selection in 2012 and led the Beavers to Omaha in 2013. Listed at 6-foot-2, 217 pounds, Conforto has present strength and above-average bat speed. He has controlled his aggressiveness as a junior, taming a swing that got too big over the summer with Team USA. He's become a more selective hitter, ranking second in the country in walks and first in on-base percentage while hitting .410 though the first week in May. After hitting 24 homers in his first two seasons combined, Conforto had just five thus far as a junior, giving some evaluators pause because he's a bat-first player. He has plus raw power and should project to hit 20-25 annually. He also has improved his fringy outfield defense, which is seen as adequate for left field, with average arm strength that doesn't always play. Conforto has shown playmaking ability with the glove, however, with show-stopper plays in the College World Series last year and key outfield assists in games against rival Oregon.
Minor League Top Prospects
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Only the Cubs' Kyle Schwarber made it from the 2014 draft to the majors faster than Conforto, who showed enough promise in the EL to warrant a callup without spending a day in Triple-A. When he got to New York, he showed the same polished skill set evaluators saw all year at Binghamton. Chief among Conforto's tools is his power, particularly the way it plays to all fields. He distributed his home runs nearly evenly among left, center and right field, and he already had as many major league home runs (seven) through 40 games as he had as an Oregon State junior last year. Evaluators also noted an excellent two-strike approach and his unwillingness to chase pitches out of the zone. Conforto has a bit of work to do in left field, particularly as it pertains to his routes and jumps, and his arm strength is ordinary. Even so, he's not going to be a liability on defense. Even as a big league rookie, he had played exactly how he projects: an everyday player on a club that contends for the pennant. -
Conforto and the Cubs' Kyle Schwarber ranked as the top college bats available for the 2014 draft, and both have zoomed to the major leagues as key lineup pieces for contending teams in 2015. Schwarber streaked through the FSL last year; Conforto did it in the first half of 2015, leading the league with six intentional walks in just 46 games. Conforto intimidated opposing managers and pitchers alike with a balanced, strong swing that is short to the zone and long through it. He covers the plate and doesn't get cheated, yet keeps his swing under control, using his hands well. Conforto has improved defensively as a pro and has solid arm strength but likely is limited to left field. "He uses his hands very well for a young hitter," a scout with a National League club said. "He has a good setup, has some rhythm and is always ready to do damage." -
Conforto capped his decorated college career by earning first-team All-America honors as a junior and getting drafted 10th overall by the Mets. An accomplished hitting machine, Conforto stood out as one of the safest bats in the NYPL. "We'd get excited every time he got out, because it didn't happen very much against us," Staten Island manager Mario Garza said. "This guy--wow. He's got the body, he's got an approach, he's got box presence. It seemed like he doesn't miss pitches. He really works the middle of the field well, and has bat speed." Conforto is primarily a gap-to-gap hitter, but he has plus raw power and drives balls the other way with authority. He needs to do a better job turning on hard stuff over the inner half, but he has the special hand-eye coordination and feel for the strike zone to be a plus hitter with above-average to plus pop. Conforto is physically mature and will be tied to left field, but he has worked hard to become a solid defender with a knack for making big plays, and his arm is solid-average. He earns raves for his competitiveness and leadership qualities.