Washington Nationals Editorial: Where Does Jayson Werth Rank Among NL East Left Fielders?

Michael Conforto – New York Mets

This choice will arguably be the most debated on my list, especially since Conforto has not played a full season in the big leagues. However, with Cuddyer retired and Yoenis Cespedes in center field, Conforto is going to be the everyday left fielder in New York.

He made his Major League debut on July 24 last season after spending the first half of the year in the minors at high-A Port St. Lucie and double-A Binghamton. In 56 games, he had a slash line of .270/.335/.506 with nine home runs and 26 RBI’s. His home run total in the second half was fourth among all Mets and he was fifth in RBI’s.

Conforto, who will be 23 in March, had his breakout game in the World Series last year against the Kansas City Royals. In Game 4 at Citi Field, he went 2-for-3 with two solo home runs.

As far as his defense goes, he had nine defensive runs saved in left field last year (according to Fangraphs). To me, when I watch Conforto since he was playing for the Brooklyn Cyclones in the New York-Penn League, I see a complete player that can hit for power and contact and play good defense.

While Conforto isn’t the star for the Mets right now, he has the chance to be one of the best hitters in this lineup over the next few years. If you look at how Fangraphs projects his 2016, they give him a 2.1 WAR, his total from 2015. He is one of six left fielders in the National League to have that high of a WAR. Keep an eye on Conforto going forward because he looks to be that good of a player.

Next: Number One