Mets: Michael Conforto needs to add an MVP vote to his resume

Everyone knows Michael Conforto is embarking on what could be his final season with the New York Mets. The club’s beloved right fielder has put up some impressive numbers in parts of six big league seasons, heading into year seven with some incredibly high hopes.

Conforto was well on his way to having a career-year in a variety of ways in 2020. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see him thrive in a full 162-game season.

Mets fans are optimistic about what he may accomplish in the coming year. Something he does need to do is add an important line to his resume in regards to the MVP.

Can you believe Mets star Michael Conforto has never received even a single MVP vote?

You might think at some point Conforto would have gotten even mild consideration for the MVP. His lifetime numbers which include a slash line of .259/.358/.484 and an average of 30 home runs and 87 RBI per 162 games is impressive albeit not elite.

To the Mets, Conforto has helped the team’s heartbeat. According to those with an MVP vote, he is far less valuable.

The Mets have never had an MVP so it’s not exactly something we would expect to see on his resume. However, to not even get a tally on a ballot comes as a surprise to anyone who hasn’t been paying close enough attention.

A simple explanation for the Mets right fielder

It’s pretty easy to come to a conclusion as to why Conforto hasn’t been an MVP candidate. The team has not been very good since he became a full-time player.

Conforto debuted with the Mets in 2015 and didn’t even reach 200 plate appearances. The MVP was far out of his reach.

When the club made the playoffs again in 2016, Conforto put together the worst year of his career. He had zero chance at earning any MVP consideration because of the dreadful sophomore slump.

The four years since have been different. Conforto has played often and put up some better numbers. The 2017 campaign was his best but because the team was so poor and he missed a large chunk of the year due to injury, he wasn’t in the conversation.

In 2018 and 2019, Conforto was valuable to the Mets yet not so valuable when matched up with the rest of the league’s best players. There’s a better case to make for him in 2019. However, much of the attention went to rookie Pete Alonso who greatly outshined Conforto.

This most recent year looked like a chance for Conforto to finally get a vote for the league’s best player award. Instead, Dominic Smith was the lone player to receive any acknowledgment for the below .500 squad.

Conforto’s resume doesn’t need this on it for him to get paid handsomely next winter. It would certainly help his cause especially if he’s looking beyond Queens for a team.

Want your voice heard? Join the Rising Apple team!

Write for us!

Above all else, an MVP vote represents an overlooked career by a guy who has been a core member of this franchise for the last half-decade. Yet to reach the ceiling we believed he could, Conforto can take the next step this year by putting together a year so worthy of some MVP consideration that at least a handful of voters can’t ignore him.