Michael Conforto is back in the groove
Michael Conforto of the Mets celebrates his sixth-inning home run against the Marlins at Citi Field on Saturday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Mickey Callaway saw it when the Mets took batting practice Friday at Citi Field. Michael Conforto was flashing good signs, indications that he was about to break out of his slump.
“After BP, I was like, ‘I can tell it’s different. I can tell you’re back,’ ” Callaway said Saturday night.
Conforto reached in all five plate appearances during Friday night’s 11-2 win over Miami and had three hits, one a solo homer.
“And then when he came out [Saturday], I said, ‘I told you you’re back,’ ” Callaway said.
More evidence came in the Mets’ 4-1 victory on Saturday night. Conforto went 2-for-3 with a walk, contributing an RBI single and another solo homer. After going 1-for-15 in the previous five games, he has reached base in eight of his last nine plate appearances and his slash line is up to .274/.412/.519 with eight homers and 18 RBIs in 39 games.
“You could see it in his overall swing, in his BP, his confidence,” Callaway said. “I get to throw to him most days because I throw the first group. You can just tell the difference when I’m throwing to him and I throw middle in and he kind of hooks it, pulls it foul. That’s not the real Michael Conforto. Today he’s staying through the ball when I throw it middle in. He’s staying up the middle. You know that he’s back.”
Even after his 3-for-3 effort in the series opener, Conforto still was batting only .197 — 12-for-61 — with five RBIs in his last 20 games dating to April 19. But he did draw 18 walks in that stretch.
So where was he? Turns out he wasn’t too far off. Some work with hitting coach Chili Davis helped.
“I really didn’t think I was swinging it all that bad the last couple of weeks,” Conforto said. “I had some lineouts. I think I expanded the zone a little bit, which got me into trouble. But Chili and I have been working on some things, just kind of trying to loosen up a little bit . . . Just allow my hands to stay on my natural path.
“That started [Friday]. I had a good BP session. And then Mick and I talked a little bit [Saturday] just from his point of view . . . He said, ‘It just looks a little different, staying inside of the ball a little better.’ ”
With one out in the sixth inning of a 1-1 game Saturday night, Pete Alonso hit a go-ahead solo homer off Sandy Alcantara. Conforto then made it back-to-back homers to right, belting a 1-and-2 fastball that came in at 95.1 mph.
“Mike had a hell of an at-bat,” Alonso said. “That’s two games in a row that he’s been awesome at the plate.”
