The Los Angeles Dodgers took a flier on Michael Conforto in free agency during the offseason by signing him to a one-year, $17 million contract.
Conforto was signed because the Dodgers saw some promise from the former All-Star last season, and he filled a need in their outfield for 2025. Before the season, manager Dave Roberts said he believed Conforto was a breakout candidate for the club.
That hasn’t come to be outside of a promising start to the season, which saw Conforto hit .308/.419/.692 with four doubles and two home runs. A brutal month of April has largely carried over into May, even as he has taken better at-bats and hit the ball harder.
Conforto has appeared snake bitten at the plate at points this month, but there’s a belief it can be fixed with an adjustment to his swing.
“I think some of it is bad luck, but also I think some of it is bat path related. The game is created that when you take a good swing with a good bat path, more times than not if you swing at good pitches, you’re going to get hits. That’s what I believe,” Roberts said.
“So when you don’t have a good bat path, players seem to be where you’re hitting it. There’s a reason Freddie has thrown out 2,300 hits and guys like Derek Jeter have 3,000 hits. I think they have good bat paths. That’s something I think Michael is mindful of and continuing to work through.”
Roberts has noticed that Conforto’s bat path has been a season-long issue. Fixing it could go a long way, as Conforto has demonstrated strong ability in other areas at the plate.
“For me, it’s been the whole season. There’s some good swings in there, certainly, but I think overall, it’s a little bit of a bat path situation for me. Because I think he’s controlling the strike zone really well,” Roberts said.
Roberts believes that a better bat path will also help Conforto drive the ball in the air to the pull side, which has been an issue and has created more opportunities for would-be hits to be directed right at a defender.
Dodgers remaining patient with Michael Conforto
It hasn’t been all bad for Conforto this month, as the better at-bat quality and harder-hit balls have come with some improved results. He recently had a five-game hitting streak and has continued to produce high exit velocities.
Because of the progress that Conforto is showing, in addition to other criteria Roberts and Dodgers hitting coaches value, it’s earned him an opportunity to remain in the lineup for at least the time being.
“Obviously things have to break a certain way. For me, I look at how a player carries himself day to day. If the moment, the struggles are getting to him emotionally, that’s a flag for me,” Roberts said.
“Michael hasn’t shown any of that, and I do think the quality of at-bat, quality of contact, is trending. That’s something I’m willing to bet on, as well as the track record too.”
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