NEW YORK -- New York Mets manager Terry Collins believes left fielder Michael Conforto can capably hit lefty pitching. Still, Collins is sticking with a platoon plan that should result in Conforto on the bench against southpaws, with Juan Lagares entering the lineup in center field and Yoenis Cespedes sliding over to left field.
The topic arose again after Conforto finished 2-for-3 with a career-high-matching three RBIs in the Mets’ 7-2 win against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday.
Conforto delivered a two-run single in the seventh against left-handed reliever James Russell to open a 6-1 lead.
“He is going to be a very, very good hitter,” Collins said. “He’s going to hit homers. He’s going to drive in runs. Right now, we kind of like the platooning thing. But Michael Conforto is going to be a good player in this league for a long time.”
The Mets are expected to face their first left-handed starter of the season on Monday, when Wei-Yin Chen should open a series at Citi Field for the Miami Marlins.
Last season, Collins mentioned that Conforto should become a full-time player in 2016. However, that plan got amended when the Mets unexpectedly re-signed Cespedes.
Conforto hit .333/.414/.490 against southpaws with Double-A Binghamton last season before his promotion to the majors.
“We’ve made a decision when we face left-handed starters that Juan’s going to play, because Juan has good numbers against left-handers. This was a particular situation of the game where I thought he could hit," Collins said about Conforto's seventh-inning faceoff with Russell.
Conforto was participating in his first home opener at the major league level. He acknowledged it was somewhat odd having already played in a World Series before achieving the home-opener milestone.
“It is a little bit backwards," Conforto said, "but I’m happy to be here with this team again."
