Dodgers Dugout: What should the Dodgers do about Michael Conforto?
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. A belated Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there.
Sometimes it appears a dark cloud is constantly following a player, sort of like Joe Btfsplk or is just hapless where nothing ever seems to go right, like Charlie Brown. or there's just doom and gloom whenever they are around, like Eeyore.
The first time I remember it is during the 1988 season, when it seemed for a couple of months that this would happen in every at-bat by Jeff Hamilton: fastball down the middle, taken for strike one; fastball down the middle, takes for strike two; curveball in the dirt, swung on and missed, strike three.
This season, that player for the Dodgers is Michael Conforto.
We haven't talked much about Conforto, so let's do a little background on him.
Conforto was born March 1, 1993 in Seattle. He was a star at Oregon State and was taken by the New York Mets in the first round (10th overall pick) of the 2014 draft. He reached the majors quickly, appearing in 56 games with the Mets in 2015. The Mets lost in the World Series that season, but Conforto became only the third player to play in the Little League World Series, College World Series and Major League World Series (the other two: Ed Vosberg and Jason Varitek). His breakthrough season was 2017, when he hit .279/.384/.555 with 20 doubles and 27 homers in 444 plate appearances and made the All-Star team. His power numbers began to dip a bit, but were still solid (28 homers in 638 plate appearances in 2018, 33 in 648 plate appearances in 2019), but he was a solid major leaguer. Let's take a look at his OPS+ each season:
2015: 1302016: 952017: 1482018: 1222019: 1272020: 1542021: 1002023: 1002024: 116
You'll notice 2022 is not represented. Before the 2021 season, Conforto turned down a $100-million contract extension. That turned out not to be wise. Conforto had an off year by his standards, hitting .232/.344/.384 with 14 homers in 479 plate apperances. He became a free agent after the season and signed with... no one. His agent, Scott Boras, said Conforto injured his shoulder while working out in January, 2022, had surgery and would not play at all that year.
In January 2023, Conforto signed a two-year, $36-million deal with the Giants. He hit .239/.334/.384 in 2023 with 14 doubles and 15 homers in 470 plate appearances and .237/.309/.450 last season with 27 doubles and 20 homers in 488 plate appearances. The Dodgers signed him for one-year, $17-million, and he started off well. After his first six games, he was hitting .368 with four doubles and a homer. Then, the roof caved in.
From April 4-May 9, Conforto was eight for 93, good for an .086 batting average. And he struck out 34 times. Because he also walked 15 times in that span, he scored 12 runs, which may be a record for a guy who went eight for 93.
Last week, Conforto talked to our Jack Harris and said, 'This game will kick you down. It will kick you when you're down. It can be cruel. So sometimes, you just have to lean on what you know you are as a player, and all the support you have around you … and keep going straight ahead, keep working. ... I think we're right on the edge of getting things back. There's just been a few of them where, you hit it [well], you look up and there's somebody there. It just seems to happen more when you're not going right.'
Dave Roberts: 'It's still easy to bet on him because the head is still there, the work is still there. 'He's just got to keep taking good at-bats, and they'll fall. A guy that's been around for so long, I think he can handle this five weeks of adversity.'
The luxury of the Dodgers having such a good team is they can afford to give someone like Conforto a longer chance than most other teams could. James Outman could have taken some playing time from him, but Outman is one for 15 since returning from the minors, while Kiké Hernández and Chris Taylor haven't exactly been candidates for the Silver Slugger this year either. Conforto has three hits in his last six at-bats. Not a sign that the slump is over, but a step in the right direction.
The Dodgers play the long game, which can be frustrating for fans. The Dodgers are very patient with players and have been for quite a while now. It should come as no surprise that they will give Conforto ample time to rediscover his offense. They have the best record in baseball and can afford to be patient.
By the way, Conforto's mother, is Tracie Ruiz Conforto, who won gold medal in the solo and duet synchronized swimming event at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
Clayton Kershaw made what is hoped to be his final rehab start, pitching four innings while giving up two runs, two hits, two walks and striking out two for triple-A Oklahoma City. If all goes well, he will come off the IL and start against the Angels on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.
Tyler Glasnow has started playing catch again as he tries to return from shoulder inflammation.
Blake Snell was supposed to start throwing again Sunday, but did not because of discomfort in his pitching shoulder. Glasnow and Snell will be checked by doctors on Monday, but this isn't a good sign for Snell.
Just imagine being a Rockies fan. They haven't made the postseason since 2018 (when they were swept in the first round) and haven't won a postseason game since 2009. They lost to the Padres on Saturday, 21-0. And Sunday they fired their manager, Bud Black, before they beat the Padres 9-3. That 'improved' their record to 7-33, before they lost Monday to drop to 7-34, which means they are on pace to finish 28-134, which I'm guessing would not be a good enough record to sneak into the postseason as a wild-card team. Their GM, Bill Schmidt, blames a lot of it on injuries. But it can't be too fun to be a fan of the Rockies lately.
Also, just as a reminder that the Dodgers aren't the only team that struggles at times, the Padres bullpen has given up 29 runs in its last 16 innings, including six runs in the ninth inning at home against the Angels on Monday.
The Dodgers' all-time leaders in OPS+, minimum 1,000 plate appearances
Franchise1. Dan Brouthers, 1722. Gary Sheffield, 1602. Mike Piazza, 1604. Freddie Freeman, 1574. Jack Fournier, 1576. Reggie Smith, 1527. Pedro Guerrero, 1498. Lefty O'Doul, 1459. Babe Herman, 1449. Hanley Ramirez, 1449. Jim Wynn, 144
Los Angeles only1. Gary Sheffield, 1601. Mike Piazza, 1603. Freddie Freeman, 1574. Reggie Smith, 1525. Pedro Guerrero, 1496 Hanley Ramirez, 1446. Jim Wynn, 1448. Mookie Betts, 1439. Duke Snider, 13610. Justin Turner, 133
Is there a top 10 Dodgers list you'd like to see Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com and let me know.
A look at how some prominent Dodgers from the last few seasons are doing with their new team (through Sunday). Click on the player name to be taken to the baseball-reference page with all their stats.
Batters
Cody Bellinger, Yankees: .221/.293/.382, 150 plate appearances, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 5 homers, 20 RBIs, 91 OPS+
Michael Busch, Cubs: .262/.360/.500, 150 PA's, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 7 homers, 24 RBIs, 142 OPS+
Jason Heyward, Padres, .181/.225/.292, 81 PA's, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 12 RBIs, 45 OPS+
Gavin Lux, Reds: .282/.377/.389, 151 PA's, 9 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 18 RBIs, 111 OPS+
Zach McKinstry, Tigers: .274/.370/.395, 147 PA's, 6 doubles, 3 triples, 1 homer, 16 RBIs, 121 OPS+
Joc Pederson, Rangers, .130/.237/.230, 115 PA's, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 4 RBIs, 37 OPS+
Keibert Ruiz, Nationals, .292/.343/.377, 140 PA's. 5 doubles, 2 homers, 14 RBIs, 106 OPS+
Corey Seager, Rangers: .300/.346/.520, 107 PA's, 4 doubles, 6 homers, 12 RBIs, 148 OPS+
Justin Turner, Cubs: .155/.271/.155, 70 PA's, 7 RBIs, 26 OPS+
Trea Turner, Phillies: .310/.371/.394, 170 PA's, 7 doubles, 2 homer, 14 RBIs, 118 OPS+
Miguel Vargas, White Sox: .215/.312/.319, 154 PA's, 8 doubles, 2 homer, 12 RBIs, 83 OPS+
Alex Verdugo, Braves: .241/.300/.325, 38 PA's, 7 doubles, 7 RBIs, 76 OPS+
Pitching
Walker Buehler, Red Sox: 4-1, 4.28 ERA, 33.2 IP, 32 hits, 9 walks, 29 K's, 96 ERA+, on the IL
Jack Flaherty, Tigers: 1-5, 4.61 ERA, 41 IP, 37 hits, 14 walks, 35 K's, 85 ERA+
Kenley Jansen, Angels: 0-1, 5.40 ERA, 7 saves, 10 IP, 12 hits, 2 walks, 9 K's, 80 ERA+
Craig Kimbrel, Braves: in the minors on a rehab assignment
Kenta Maeda, Tigers: 0-0, 7.88 ERA, 8 IP, 9 hits, 6 walks, 8 K's, 52 ERA+, released by Tigers
Ryan Pepiot, Rays: 2-4, 3.86 ERA, 44.1 IP, 42 hits, 16 walks, 38 K's, 104 ERA+
Max Scherzer, Blue Jays: 0-0, 6.00 ERA, 3 IP, 3 hits, 0 walks, 1 K, 74 ERA+, on the IL
Ryan Yarbrough, Yankees: 0-0, 3.70 ERA, 24.1 IP, 21 hits, 10 walks, 20 K's, 107 ERA+
Is there a player you'd like to see listed here? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com and let me know.
Tuesday: Athletics (TBD) at Dodgers (Landon Knack, 2-0, 4.61 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Wednesday: Athletics (TBD) at Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 4-3, 1.80 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Thursday: Athletics (TBD) at Dodgers (Roki Sasaki, 1-1, 4.72 ERA), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
*-left-handed
How Freddie Freeman unleashed a hot streak at the plate with a single off Paul Skenes
Dodgers continue 'to bet on' Michael Conforto, but can he break unthinkable early slump?
Shaikin: Agent Nez Balelo 'wouldn't do anything different' with Shohei Ohtani's $700-million deal
Hernández: Shohei Ohtani pitching this season initially felt like a luxury. Now it's a necessity
Are the Dodgers in a glass-half-full situation or glass-half-empty? | Dodgers Debate
From 1929, all-time Dodgers great Dazzy Vance talks pitching. Watch and listen here.
Have a comment or something you'd like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
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