It’s been a while since we’ve seen Michael Conforto at his best. As an outfielder for the Mets, Conforto had numerous notable single-season triumphs, such as posting an on-base percentage of .384 in 2017, mashing 33 home runs in 2019 and hitting for a batting average of .322 (with an OBP of .412) in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. But since then, Conforto’s path has a downhill slope.
As of Friday, Conforto is hitting a mere .135/.278/.225/.503 with two home runs with the Los Angeles Dodgers this season. At the time of his signing, it seemed like a solid bet on an oft-injured power-hitter that boasts star potential when healthy. But sadly, this viewpoint is now rapidly fading.
Conforto has frequently fallen on the IL and has seen less than 490 plate appearances each year since 2019. This includes missing the entire 2022 with a shoulder injury. But after managing 20 home runs last season with the Giants, the Dodgers decided to give this aging slugger a shot as a starting outfielder, bringing him aboard on a one-year, $17 million deal over an eventful offseason.
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Time is running out for Conforto to prove his worth
The Dodgers came off a superb year in 2024 that saw them add their eighth championship trophy in franchise history. During the winter, they spared no expense to ensure a repeat year with the marquee signings of Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, Roki Sasaki and the re-signing of Teoscar Hernández, among many other substantial moves.
Los Angeles currently leads the MLB with a 25-13 record entering Friday, tied with the Detroit Tigers. Having dealt with a crumbling pitching staff and numerous injuries to impact players, there is very little room left on the roster for laggards.
Currently, the Dodgers have one other player besides Conforto who has scuffled mightily this season, third baseman Max Muncy. But as much negative press as Muncy has earned for his poor performance in recent days, Conforto has actually played considerably worse.
Conforto owns the worst numbers on the team, posting a .503 OPS with 55 wRC+ on the season, paling in comparison even to Muncy’s modest .600 OPS with 78 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus values provided by FanGraphs). It would seem unimaginable if the Dodgers let Conforto's lackluster performance continue on their roster for much longer.