Mets outfielder Michael Conforto stays positive despite offensive numbers below his expectations

Michael Conforto’s season has been neither good nor bad. It’s been a sprinkling of both, really.

A solid — albeit unspectacular — first two months have been overshadowed by a dismal June and a July that’s been kind to his batting average but unkind to his power. The Mets’ 26-year-old outfielder was self-critical before Saturday’s 3-0 win over the Pirates in which he went 1-for-3 with a walk and a long home run to rightfield in the bottom of the sixth inning of a scoreless game.

“As a broader overview of the season, it’s definitely not the way I’ve wanted the season to go,” he said at his locker after his pregame hitting workout. “I was looking forward to having a little more consistency at the plate, being able to shorten those valleys and ride the peaks a little longer. It’s just a part of the game, and I think I just have to keep working and trust that the work I’m putting in is going to translate onto the field.”

Conforto’s slash line of .250/.354/.462 through Friday is an improvement on last year’s line of .243/.350/.448, but both are behind the 2017 All-Star numbers of .279/.384/.555. Through Saturday he had 19 home runs and 52 RBIs, both second on the team to Pete Alonso.

“It’s not a bad season by any means, but it’s not up to my expectations,” Conforto said. “I see myself as more of a run producer, driving guys in, getting on base a little more, and I haven’t done that up to my expectations.”

Individual goals are personal, Conforto said, adding that he doesn’t make them public. But he said he’s fallen short, especially considering how many hittable pitches he thinks he’s seen batting in front of Alonso.

Hitting coach Chili Davis is not as concerned.

“I’m glad that he’s critical of himself,” Davis said. “I’m not that critical of him. I’m not even critical of him. I think he’s working his tail off. He goes out every day and tries his damnedest to produce. I think his numbers may not be pleasing to him, but he’s got two months left, and he could get hot for a month.”

A hot streak could be coming. In the past, he's been cold in June, evidenced by his slash line of .195/.306/.355 in 96 career games during the month (including .229/.303/.429 this year).

“I really don’t think I’ve gotten hot yet, so I’m going to continue to work toward hitting that hot streak,” said Conforto, who was hitting .304 over his previous 10 starts.

Conforto’s maintained his batting eye, a skill he honed at Oregon State. “When I was in high school, I was kind of just up there swinging. I was really raw, had some power,” he said.

By not chasing pitches during cold streaks, he can still provide value on the bases. It also helps him prolong hot streaks when they come. Entering Saturday’s game, he was tied for 12th in the National League with 50 walks and scored 52 runs, second on the team behind Alonso.

“That’s the thing about Michael,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “His on-base percentage is always going to be up there . . . There’s always value having him in the lineup, even if he may not be swinging the bat the way he’d like to at that moment. There’s still a good chance he’s going to get on base one or two times because he’s got an incredible eye.”

Callaway said taking pitches could result in being too passive, but Davis said he doesn’t think that’s the case. Davis likes Conforto's approach and said he thinks that he's still learning his swing.

“He’s had a little bit of a history of having highs and lows, and everyone does, but we’re trying to minimize the lows,” Davis said.

Conforto appears to be a building block in the team’s young core of position players. In only his fifth year after debuting as 22-year-old rookie in 2015, Conforto wants to be better.

“I’m just going to keep working,” Conforto said. “I’m not going to get down on myself at all.”