The Dodgers wouldn’t mind using the same script with a different actor.
Last year, the Dodgers took a chance on a former All-Star in his early 30s, signing Teoscar Hernandez to a one-year deal. Hernandez rewarded them with another All-Star season and a Silver Slugger-level performance then cashed in with a three-year contract extension.
Michael Conforto fits one part of the profile – a former All-Star signed to a one-year deal – and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts thinks he could follow a similar path in Los Angeles.
“Like I said from the very beginning – I think he’s going to be one of my picks to click this year as far as a guy that I think is going to really take a step forward,” Roberts said.
“Not saying he’s Teo of ’24. But that’s kind of the light I see him in.”
Conforto doesn’t want to take a step forward as much as a couple steps backwards “to get back to ’17 to 2020.”
“What I was doing then was All-Star level,” he said. “Trying to get back to that.”
A much-heralded prospect, Conforto was in the majors just a year after the New York Mets made him their first-round draft pick in 2014 and was the answer to a trivia question just a few months later – as one of three players to compete in a Little League World Series, the College World Series (at Oregon State) and the World Series (in 2015 with the Mets).
Two years later, he was an All-Star while hitting .279 with a .939 OPS and 27 home runs for the 2017 Mets. By 2021, the Mets saw him so much a part of their plans that they offered him a $100 million contract extension. He declined, slumped in 2021 then became a free agent just as baseball was heading into a lockout. A shoulder injury suffered during workouts required surgery and sidelined him for the 2022 season.
“I think not playing for a year really set me back,” Conforto said.
Chilly nights in San Francisco didn’t help either. Conforto bounced back with the Giants the past two seasons – but mainly on the road. Last year, he hit .216 with a 632 OPS at Oracle Park, .253 with an .852 OPS away from the Bay. He hit 35 home runs in two years with the Giants, only nine of them at home.
The Dodgers would be happy to get the traveling version of Conforto this year.
“I’m excited to hit here in Dodger Stadium,” Conforto said during the FanFest event there last month. “It’s a great place to hit. Good hitter’s eye, great weather. Excited to not freeze in the outfield this year.”
Conforto’s bat has yet to warm up this spring – a typical slow start for him, he says – but working with the Dodgers’ hitting coaches has reminded him of what he can bring to the Dodgers’ lineup.
“Nothing ground breaking. Really just stuff that I’ve done in the past – reaffirming, bringing back stuff that I did during periods of time when things were really, really good,” he said. “I think that’s an effective way because I’ve seen myself do it. I know it’s in there.”
Roberts plans to give Conforto time to bring it out. He will be the every-day left fielder with only occasional days off against left-handed pitchers, Roberts said. There are no plans to give Conforto a platoon partner (despite a trio of right-handed options for that role in Chris Taylor, Andy Pages and Kiké Hernandez).
“I think that our guys have seen some things that they think can make him get back to what he used to be in ’15, more of a productive hitter,” Roberts said. “Where he’s at in his maturation as a ballplayer – I just think things are really lining up.”
PHILLIPS PROGRESS
Right-hander Evan Phillips continues to progress in his recovery from a torn ligament in the back of his shoulder. He threw his fourth bullpen session Wednesday morning and will start facing hitters in live batting practice while the Dodgers are in Japan.
“It was the best one he’s had,” Roberts said of Wednesday’s throwing session. “He used his entire pitch mix. … Today was a big step in the right direction. If I hadn’t known any better, he was in midseason form.”
Right-hander Michael Kopech has also thrown bullpen sessions in his delayed spring buildup. Neither he nor Phillips will be ready to open the season on time.
“Initially, we were trying to be really careful with their build-up, knowing that they pitched a lot of high-stress innings last year,” Roberts said. “So having them start a little bit later isn’t a bad thing. I think that just kind of seeing where they’re at right now, just more encouraged.”
Phillips has progressed ahead of Kopech and could be activated “some time in the first, second week of April is totally on the table,” Roberts said.
FAMILIAR FACE
After signing his new contract at the beginning of spring training, Clayton Kershaw returned to his home in Texas to continue his rehab from foot and knee surgeries last November.
He was back in camp on Wednesday and will travel to Tokyo for the games against the Chicago Cubs, though he will not be on the active roster.
ALSO
Will Smith will be back in the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Texas Rangers, Roberts said. Smith was hit in the left knee by a pitch and left Tuesday’s game early.
