Los Angeles Dodges left fielder Michael Conforto has struggled during his first season in a Dodgers uniform.
The All-Star outfielder is hitting .190 this season with an OPS+ of 76, ranking 24 percent lower than league average. Especially with his $17 million salary this season, his lack of production is certainly troubling as the final stretch of the regular season is upon the Dodgers.
Manager Dave Roberts, however, has remained steadfast in his belief in Conforto, and it seemed to pay off as he showed glimpses last month, batting .273 with an OPS of .827 in July.
Conforto went 3-for-8 with a pair of RBIs this past weekend, helping the Dodgers sweep the San Diego Padres. He recently revealed a heart-to-heart he had with Roberts that may have helped turn things around.
“I think the gist of it was just getting some more out of me, which is fair,” Conforto said. “I expect more out of myself. We talked through a lot of things, but that’s the main thing. Just to fight for every inch in those situations.
“A lot of times, there’ll be bases loaded situations that fall to that seven hole and great teams — playoff teams — they come through and score in those spots.”
Roberts spoke on his talks with Conforto and how his outfielder continues to battle each day, slowly but surely seeing results.
“I would say it’s actually freeing in the sense of, you’re not expecting to put up a certain OPS or this or that. You’re just trying to help the team win,” Roberts said. “My ask is to just be a better hitter, to fight, and to put together at-bats.
“That’s pretty much in any player’s control, versus trying to hit a certain number of homers, ribbies, this or that. I was hoping to free him up a little bit. It’s good to see it.”
Similar to the slump that superstar Mookie Betts appears to be making his way out of, the past doesn’t matter nearly as much as what these two can do for the team at this point in the season.
As the regular season starts to wind down with October right around the corner, Conforto will need to play the best baseball he has as a member of the Dodgers and continue producing.
