Diagnosing Michael Conforto

   

Newsday.com

 Michael Conforto can become one of the best hitters in the majors. This is due to the nice, smooth swing he’s carried since college and good pitch recognition. However, it’s safe to say that after a great stretch in 2015 and early start last season that he fell off a cliff the rest of the season. 

     I am by no means a hitting coach (nor will I ever be), but I can at least try and play doctor, can’t I? I believe that the reason Michael Conforto struggled so badly after April can be easily diagnosed.

     We all know that once the calendar turned to May, Conforto’s hitting cratered. This was the result of his sudden propensity to chase breaking pitches out of the strike zone.  

Pre-Slump

Slump

     

     

     It is apparent here pitchers recognized since Conforto was turning any strike they threw into a well hit ball, they decided to toss him more breaking balls and off speed pitches out of the zone to see if he would get himself out. They were proven right, as Conforto seemingly showed anxiousness on those pitches. This helps explain why his strikeout rate rose by nearly 5%.

     

     Not only was Conforto showing more willingness to swing at anything that wasn’t a fastball and a strike, but he also showed changes in his swing. 

     First, here is his swing in 2015. As you can see here, he exhibits incredibly quick hips and as a result, his bat is quick to turn on the inside pitch, and has a smooth, natural bat path as a result. 

     Now, here is a clip of him hitting into a double play in 2016. This is a good indicator that unlike how he was in 2015, Conforto fails to pull his hands in to turn on the inside pitch. As a result, he rolls over on the pitch, and hit the ball weakly to his pull side. 

     Perhaps the reason for Conforto not pulling his hands in on inside pitches is because he was looking to take the ball the other way too often instead of aiming to hit the ball where it is pitched. This can explain why he failed to turn on inside pitches.
   

    More likely than not, all of these things that Conforto did in his slump was a byproduct of anxiousness and trying too hard to prove himself to the team. I believe more than anything, Michael Conforto needs to trust his swing and gain more confidence in realizing that he is still a very good hitter. It seems he can certainly learn a thing or two from a Mets great.