Michael Conforto, left fielder, New York Mets
For the most part, the Mets have been disappointing in 2017 but towards the end of May, they got back into the fringes of contention. When looking at the roster, it’s hard to figure out just how this happened.
Aside from Jacob deGrom, the once revered pitching staff has been ineffective (Matt Harvey) or injured (Noah Syndergaard). The offense has been largely inconsistent. Neil Walker leads the team in hits, but is only batting .264. Yoenies Cespedes has been sidelined for much of the year. Jay Bruce has hit for good power, but the catalyst has been Conforto.
Conforto is slashing at .316/.415/.639, has 13 home runs and 34 RBI. While RBI totals aren’t always a great way to determine how well a player is hitting, 34 RBI for a lead-off man is awfully hard to do, especially in the National League.
Where would the Mets be without Conforto? They’d be like the San Francisco Giants, a team with high expectations entering the year that’s starting June essentially out of the playoff race. As it is, New York has a chance. The Mets owe that almost exclusively to Conforto.
Not bad for a guy who isn’t even on the All Star ballot.