| Michael Conforto | |
|---|---|
 Conforto with theSan Francisco Giants in 2023 | |
| Free agent | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: (1993-03-01)March 1, 1993 (age 32) Seattle,Washington, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 24, 2015, for the New York Mets | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Batting average | .245 |
| Hits | 934 |
| Home runs | 179 |
| Runs batted in | 556 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Michael Thomas Conforto (born March 1, 1993), nicknamed "Scooter",[1][2][3][4] is an American professionalbaseballoutfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theNew York Mets,San Francisco Giants, andLos Angeles Dodgers.
After Conforto playedcollege baseball for theOregon State Beavers, the Mets selected him in the first round of the2014 MLB draft with the 10th overall pick. He made his MLB debut in 2015. He was anAll-Star in 2017, and anAll-MLB Second Team outfielder in 2020. He became afree agent after the 2021 season, but missed the 2022 season due to a shoulder injury.
Conforto represented theNorthwest Region in theLittle League World Series in2004.[5] He attendedRedmond High School inRedmond, Washington,[6][7] where he was an honor roll student.[8] He playedshortstop on the baseball team, andquarterback andsafety on thefootball team. In football, he was named second-team All-State.[9] As a football player, Conforto was recruited byIvy League schools.[10] In baseball, he batted .310 as a sophomore, .361 as a junior (when he was All-State), and .400 as a senior (when he was named All-State and All-League).[9] Meanwhile, Conforto received offers to play baseball atOregon,Arizona,Arizona State,Washington,Washington State,Stanford, andOregon State.[11]
As a freshman atOregon State University in 2012, Conforto hit .349/.437/.601 with 13home runs (tied for 1st), 12 hit-by-pitch (7th), and led the Pac-12 with 76runs batted in (RBIs) in 218 at bats over 58 games.[12] His 76 RBIs were an Oregon State single-season record.[13] He was named Freshman Hitter of the Year by theNational Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and was thePac-12 Freshman of the Year.[14][15] During the summer he played for theUSA Baseball Collegiate National Team.[16] As a sophomore in 2013, Conforto hit .328/.447 (2nd)/.526 (8th) with 48 runs (7th), 14 doubles (8th), 11 home runs (tied for 1st), 47 RBIs (7th), 41 walks (1st), and 14 hit-by-pitch (5th) in 247 at bats over 65 games.[17] He helped lead the team to theCollege World Series, where he went 7-for-16 and was named to the All-Tournament Team.[18] He was named thePac-12 Player of the Year, and was named a first-team All-American by theAmerican Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).[19][20] He again played for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team during the summer in 2013.[21]
Prior to the 2014 season, he was named the preseasonSporting News College Baseball Player of the Year.[22] Conforto finished the season hitting .345 (4th)/.504 (1st).547 (2nd) with 52 runs (1st), 16 doubles (3rd), seven home runs (3rd), 56 RBIs (2nd), and 55 walks (1st), and 12 hit-by-pitch (9th) in 203 at bats over 59 games.[23] He again was named the Pac-12 Baseball Player of the Year.[24] He was also a finalist for theGolden Spikes Award and theDick Howser Trophy.[25][26]
TheNew York Mets selected Conforto in the first round, with the 10th overall selection, of the2014 Major League Baseball draft.[27] Conforto signed with the Mets on July 11, 2014, receiving a $2,970,800signing bonus.[28] He played for theBrooklyn Cyclones of theClass A-Short SeasonNew York–Penn League after he signed.[29] He batted .331 (5th in the league)/.403 (5th)/.448 with 3 home runs, 19 RBIs, and 5 hit-by-pitch (8th) in 163 at bats,[30] and was named aBaseball America Short-Season All Star.[31]
Conforto started the 2015 season with theSt. Lucie Mets of theClass A-AdvancedFlorida State League, for whom he batted .283/.350/.462 (4th in the league) with 7 home runs and 28 RBIs in 206 at bats, and led the league with sixintentional walks.[32] He was promoted to theBinghamton Mets of theClass AAEastern League on June 26, 2015, for whom he batted .312/.396 (8th in the league)/.503 with 5 home runs and 26 RBIs in 197 at bats.[32] On July 12, 2015, atGreat American Ball Park inCincinnati, he started in left field for the United States team at theAll-Star Futures Game and collected two hits and oneassist.[33] He was named an FSL Mid-Season All Star, and to the 2015 Topps Rookie All-Star team.[31][34]
In 2016 with AAA Las Vegas in thePacific Coast League, Conforto batted .422 (leading the PCL)/.483 (first)/.727 (2nd) with 30 runs, 9 home runs, and 28 RBIs with a 1.209 OPS in 128 at bats.[32][35]
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On July 24, 2015, the Mets promoted Conforto to the major leagues.[36] He made his debut later that day, picking up his first major league RBI on a groundout, but going 0-for-3 while becoming the 1,000th player to appear in a game for the Mets.[37] The next day, he collected his first major league hit, an RBI, as part of a four-hit game.[38] He hit his first major-league home run on August 3 offMiami Marlins' starterTom Koehler.[39] He finished the season batting .270/.335/.506 with 30 runs, 9 home runs, and 26 RBIs in 174 at bats over 56 games played, and was in the top 3% in the major leagues with a maximumexit velocity of 115 mph.[40][41] On defense, he exclusively played left field.[42] The Mets won the2015 National League pennant, making Conforto the third player in history to have played in theLittle League World Series,College World Series, and Major LeagueWorld Series, along with pitcherEd Vosberg and catcherJason Varitek.[43] Conforto hit two home runs in Game 4 of the2015 World Series, becoming the first rookie to homer twice in a world series game sinceAndruw Jones accomplished the feat in Game 1 of the1996 World Series.[44]
Entering 2016, Conforto became the Mets everyday left fielder. After a torrid start in April, Conforto began to slump once May came. From May 1 to June 25, 2016, Conforto's batting average dipped to .130. On June 25, the Mets demoted Conforto to theLas Vegas 51s of theClass AAAPacific Coast League and called upBrandon Nimmo.[41] Conforto was recalled to the majors on July 18.[45] After his return to the Mets, Conforto began playing both corner outfield positions. He made his major league debut incenter field on July 23, 2016, as a defensive replacement. For the season, he batted .220/.310/.414 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs in 304 at bats for the Mets, and was again in the top 3% in the major leagues with a maximum exit velocity of 115.0 mph.[40][46]
Conforto started the 2017 season as the Mets fourth outfielder but worked his way to a starting job. He was selected to the2017 MLB All-Star Game inMiami after hitting .285/.405/.548 through the first half.[47] On August 24, during a game against theArizona Diamondbacks, Conforto suffered a season-ending injury during a swing, as he dislocated his left shoulder and tore his posterior capsule.[48] He elected to have surgery on September 2.[49] For the 2017 season, Conforto batted .279/.384/.555 with 27 home runs and 68 RBIs in 373 at bats.[42]
In 2018, Conforto hit .243/.350/.448 and led the Mets with 28 home runs, 82 RBIs, and 78 runs scored, as his 84 walks were 8th in the NL and his 159 strikeouts were 7th in the league, in 543 at bats.[46] He had the 11th-longest home run in baseball for the season, at 472 feet.[40]
On May 28, 2019, Conforto hit his first careergrand slam against theLos Angeles Dodgers atDodger Stadium.[50] He finished the season batting .257/.363/.494 with a .856 OPS, career highs in home runs (33) and RBIs (92), as he had 84 walks (9th in the NL), in 549 at bats.[42]
In 2020 for the Mets, Conforto played in 54 games, batting .322 (7th in the NL)/.412 (6th)/.515 with 40 runs, 9 home runs, 31 RBIs, and 7 hit by pitch (6th) in 202 at bats.[46] He was in the top 5% in the major leagues with a maximum exit velocity of 114.4 mph.[40] He led NL outfielders in assists, with six, playing right field exclusively.[42]
Prior to the 2021 season, the Mets offered Conforto a $100 million contract extension, which he declined.[51]
On April 8, 2021, Conforto was the batter during a rare walk-offhit by pitch to win a game against theMiami Marlins. The HBP call was controversial, with umpireRon Kulpa saying after watching a post-game replay that he felt his call was in error, and that Conforto instead should have been charged with a strike.[52] On September 30, Conforto was entering a game against the Marlins in what could have been his final game as a Met atCiti Field. Conforto went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a double. He made his mark defensively as well: In the top of the ninth inning, up 12-3, Conforto recorded the second out of the inning with an impressive diving catch. Following the play, he received a standing ovation from the fans, despite a disappointing 2021 season. Conforto appeared to be in tears, and later described his emotions during the game as "something I've never really felt before". He also acknowledged first base coachTony Tarasco, who held Conforto's hand up in the air before Conforto entered the dugout.[53] Conforto finished the 2021 season batting .232/.344/.384 with 14 home runs and 55 RBIs in 406 at bats, with a career-worst slugging percentage, as well as a batting average and OPS worse than any season of his aside from 2016, which was the first year he began the season in the majors.[42] On defense, he exclusively played right field.[42]
Following the 2021 season, the Mets offered him aqualifying offer (one-year for $18.4 million), which Conforto also declined, instead choosingfree agency.[54] The2021–22 Major League Baseball lockout delayed free agency talks that offseason. Conforto started the 2022 season as a free agent. His agent,Scott Boras, later released a statement saying that an offseason shoulder injury suffered in January 2022 during a workout resulted in Conforto not starting the season with a contract.[55][56][57] In April, Boras said that Conforto underwent right shoulder surgery and would not play at all in 2022.[58][59] Because he didn't sign with a team before the2022 MLB draft, the Mets did not receive a compensation draft pick for Conforto rejecting their qualifying offer.
On January 6, 2023, Conforto signed a two-year, $36 million contract with theSan Francisco Giants, containing an opt-out clause after the first season.[60] After the 2023 season, Conforto opted in for the 2024 season at $18 million.[61] In his two seasons with the Giants, Conforto compiled 35 home runs, a .238 batting average, .740 OPS, and 108 OPS+ in 255 games played.[42]
On December 10, 2024, Conforto signed a one-year, $17 million contract with theLos Angeles Dodgers.[62] Conforto became the Dodgers starting left fielder but performed poorly with the bat all season, causing for the fan base to publicly call for his release.[63] Despite his struggles, he continued to get playing time in a platoon withAlex Call.[64] He played in 139 games for the Dodgers with aslash line of .199/.305/.333, the lowest marks of his career.[42] He was left off the Dodgers postseason roster.[65]
Conforto's mother,Tracie Conforto (née Ruiz), is a three-time Olympic medalist insynchronized swimming,[66] and his father, Mike, an Italian American,[67] playedinside linebacker atPenn State.[68] His sister, Jacqueline, playedsoccer atAzusa Pacific University.[11]
Conforto got engaged to longtime girlfriend Cabernet Burns in January 2021.[69] The couple married in December the same year.[70] Their first child, a son named Camden, was born in December 2023.[61]
Conforto resides inScottsdale, Arizona, during the offseason.[71][72] He is represented byScott Boras.[73]
