PORT ST. LUCIE — Michael Conforto is ready this time. Bring it on.
“I took a step back and evaluated,’’ Conforto said Friday at Mets pre-camp.
Man, did he evaluate.
“I worked very hard in the offseason. I think I’m in a lot better shape than I was coming in last year and the swing feels great so I’m really looking forward to this year,’’ said Conforto, who lost about seven pounds and said he added muscle.
“I was a little soft towards the end of the year last year, so I feel in much better shape now,” he said. “Last year was a big motivator for me and I think, moving forward, it could be one of the best things for me, a wake-up call.
“Last year definitely helped me grow up and mature. I feel ready to get after it again.
“It’s a very tough thing, especially not having really experienced that scale of struggle,’’ Conforto said of a difficult season that saw him become a human yo-yo between the Mets and Las Vegas as his batting average dropped 50 points from .270 his rookie year to .220 last season.
“That struggle is really going to end up paying off for me. … I gained a lot of experience from it, dealing with going down, coming back up, going down again and having to earn every at-bat that you get. Nothing is handed to you up here in the big leagues, so I am fully prepared to earn everything I get.’’
Those are words you would expect from Conforto, who turns 24 on March 1. In his short time with the Mets, he gets an “A’’ for accountability.
His athletic bloodlines are off the charts. His father, Mike, was an undersized linebacker at Penn State, and his mother, Tracie, was a three-time Olympic gold medalist in synchronized swimming.
His father turned 60 this year. There was a family vacation to Mexico to celebrate. What words of advice did his father have for him?
“Turn it into a positive and a fire that propels you towards where you want to be,’’ Conforto said. “That’s the way he’s always been and I think that’s where I get that attitude of turning this into one of the best things that could happen to me.
“Preparation builds confidence, that’s why I feel so great right now.’’
Jay Bruce has been declared the right fielder, Curtis Granderson is in center and Yoenis Cespedes is in left. Conforto could be the odd man out until a trade is made.
He’s open to playing some first base, too.
“We’ve got a lot of guys,’’ Conforto said. “I’m prepared to play well as I know I can and it’s going to make some decisions tough.
“I worked a lot on using my legs a little bit more,’’ Conforto noted of his left-handed swing. “When I first came up, I was using my legs a little bit more efficiently. I’m kind of sinking down into my legs a little more and having a little flex to that back leg so I can push off it.’’
He’s going to use more of the field, too. He exchanged video with hitting instructor Kevin Long.
Conforto batted .422 in 128 at-bats at Las Vegas in 2016. He went through a wrist injury as well, but he said the wrist is fine now.
“I didn’t have any issues with it over the offseason, I was hitting a lot,’’ Conforto said. “What the doctor said is it could just dissipate, the problem is if it starts to hurt again and it becomes a chronic issue then they want to go in and see what’s going on.’’
On the social side, Noah Syndergaard, last year’s roommate, is now rooming with another pitcher, Robert Gsellman. Conforto smiled and said, “Just me now, a bachelor pad.’’
This is a fresh start for Conforto and the Mets.
“I know we are all working hard to get back to where we were two years ago and hopefully finish the thing off,’’ he said.
No doubt. Michael Conforto is prepared now.
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