New York Mets: Michael Conforto is a rising star

Michael Conforto has emerged as one of the best hitters on the New York Mets this season, and he is just getting started.

It has been a great start to the season for Michael Conforto, as one of the key pieces of their run to the World Series. After a lot of debate on whether or not the Mets called up Conforto too early last season, the left-handed slugger went on to have a great second half of the season.

This season, Terry Collins has moved Conforto into the three-hole in the lineup, and the 23-year-old is thriving for the Mets.

“Michael Conforto is not intimidated by where I have him right now,” Collins said to Maria Guardado of NJ.com. “I was concerned that he might be. That’s a big load for a young kid. He’s got a star hitting in front of him, he’s got a star hitting behind him. That’s an awful lot to ask and this kid’s, ‘Just put a bat in my hand, let me go up and swing.'”

Since being moved into the three-hole, Conforto is hitting .407 with 15 RBIs, as he has been everything a manager can dream of in the best spot in the lineup.

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“There are some guys that are just outstanding players,” Collins said to Guardado. “I don’t care what level you put them at. They adjust, and they adjust fast. This kid has done that. If you were around him last year and you saw the way he handled all the situations he was put in and the way the veteran players dealt with him, you’d be pretty impressed by him. He’s going to be a force. We all think that. He’s going to get better and better. That’s why we got him where we’ve got him. We’re not afraid to put him there on a good team with big expectations.”

Overall this season, Conforto is hitting .365 with four home runs, 18 RBIs, and a .442 on-base percentage. The Mets have challenged Conforto a lot already in his young career, and he continues to thrive.

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“When you take those things as opportunities, and it doesn’t seem like a big move,” Conforto said to Guardado. “It’s more exciting than nerve-wracking. To be excited about it, it’s a good thing. It’s a positive thing, and that’s where I wanted to be. Really had no nerves about it. Just felt like a step in the right direction. Felt very good.”

With the great pitching staff of the Mets, the emergence of Conforto as a legitimate three-hitter has the Mets looking like a very scary team in the National League.

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