
Mets with GOAT potential – Michael Conforto
Finally, there’s Michael Conforto. Jeff McNeil isn’t going to catch anyone because of all of the positions he plays. I also don’t believe any catcher ever reaches Mike Piazza. Conforto, however, may be able to at least copy what Darryl Strawberry did in right field. It’s not likely, but definitely possible.
Strawberry is the greatest right fielder in Mets history and someone many would consider a member of the Mount Rushmore. If he’s not a Mount Rushmore for you, he’s at least deserving of an honorable mention.
The all-time home run king in franchise history was one of baseball’s biggest stars in the 1980s. While Conforto is nowhere near as popular, he’s still the second-best at the position in franchise history already.
This doesn’t say much because the Mets lack a deep history of star outfielders. For many years, it was their pitching that carried them. Occasionally, we saw a player put together a brief stint of excellence at a given position.
In the early successful years of the Mets, many players platooned which made it a little more difficult for someone to establish a GOAT status. Strawberry was a true everyday player so he never had to worry about it. Only Mr. Burns would lift him from a game when a lefty was on the mound to play the percentages.
Conforto isn’t a complete right fielder because he has moved around the outfield plenty in his career. However, it’s his main position and the spot where he seems to have settled in.
To reach Strawberry status, we will first need to see Conforto stay with the Mets beyond 2021 when he’s set to hit free agency. At the pace he’s hitting, he may come up short.
Longevity is the biggest key for Conforto to reach right field GOAT status. If he becomes a lifetime Met, he could overtake Strawberry.
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Are there any other Mets you could see reaching GOAT status at their position?