Mets: Michael Conforto closing in on the franchise’s single season strikeout record

New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto is only six strikeouts away from tying David Wright’s single-season strikeout record. He has six games left to avoid it.

For all of the good he has done this year, New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto may end up setting a new record this season. Entering the final six games of the season, Scooter is six strikeouts shy of tying the single-season strikeout record set by David Wright in 2010.

Not long ago, I mentioned how there’s one Wright record someone will surely smash. With two three-game series left, Conforto won’t smash it but he can set a new high.

Even during his hot month of August, Conforto is averaging almost a strikeout per game. He’s at 20 in 22 games so he’s just under the pace needed to pass Wright.

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Coincidentally, Conforto may break Wright’s dubious record in the same game in which the Captain returns. As anyone with a pulse and a Mets cap knows, Wright returns to action this Saturday for the final start of his career. He may see action earlier, however, any at-bats prior will come as a pinch-hitter or substitution through other ways.

Since his big league promotion in 2015, striking out has been easy for Conforto. It’s pretty simple for most baseball players these days. Fortunately for Conforto, at least in the latter part of the year, he has sprinkled in plenty of hits and some four-bag ones to make up for the walks of shame back to the dugout.

One negative to take away from Conforto’s year regardless of the stellar ending is how much more he’s striking out than ever before. We already knew he was a frequent visitor of “The K.” However, this season he’s setting a new standard.

In 2017, Conforto struck out 113 times in 109 games over 440 plate appearances. It was his first time he ended the year with more strikeouts than games played. Of course, this is partly because he started more regularly. During his previous two seasons, Conforto was pinch-hitting more often.

Conforto will again finish the year with more strikeouts than games played. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. As of the start of MLB’s final week, eleven players already have more than 161 strikeouts. Several are MVP candidates as well.

If Conforto does break Wright’s record this weekend, don’t expect any balloons or even acknowledgment on the scoreboard. It’s one of the few single-season records no batter wants.

Perhaps surpassing Wright would, in an odd way, signify a changing of the guard from the past era of Mets baseball to the future one. After all, Conforto is one of the more popular players on the team and one of the future candidates to maybe one day become a captain, too.

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Keep your eyes and ears peeled. We may have a new strikeout champion before the year is through.