MLB drafts: 10 best selections from 2012-16
By Bill Felber
MLB draft: 10 best selections from 2012-16
9. Michael Conforto, (2014 draft) 2.56 average WAR
Conforto was one of the most talked-about college sluggers – having led Oregon State to the 2013 College World Series semi-finals – when the Mets drafted him with the 10th pick of the first round in 2014.
With the Beavers, he had batted .335 and driven in 103 runs with an imposing .834 college OPS when the Mets took him. He signed within a month, and his college experience enabled Conforto to relatively race through the minors, debuting at Citi Field a little more than a year later.
Defensive questions prompted the Mets to shuttle Conforto between the minors and majors until 2017, when – in his first full season – he was named to the National League All-Star team. He hit 27 home runs that season 28 in 2018 and a career-best 33 in 2019, batting .257.
Despite that shuttle experience, Conforto has logged enough major league time to play in nearly 600 games and hit 109 home runs. His cumulative 12.8 WAR is topped by 3.9 in 2017 and 3.5 in 2019.
And like Seager, Conforto has delivered at a bargain rate. He’s earned $5.7 million to date, most of it in 2019 when he became arbitration-eligible.
Conforto is controllable through 2021.