There were a number of reasons why the Mets made the move for Jay Bruce.  There was the obvious reason that Bruce was the major league RBI leader and he was hitting well with runners in scoring position.  His addition was meant to address the Mets issues in those areas.  The Mets also obtained Bruce as Yoenis Cespedes insurance, not just for this year with Cespedes quad, but also for next year in the event the Mets cannot re-sign him after he opts out.  Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, the Mets acquired Bruce due to the struggles of Michael Conforto.

It’s at least a possibility that the Mets never make the trade for Bruce if Conforto was hitting like he should.  Instead, Conforto was mired in a horrific slump for two months after a hot April all but forcing the Mets hands.  The team would have to send him to AAA to try to set him straight.

Conforto would start out hitting pretty well when he came back from his stint in AAA.  In his first 12 games back, he hit .267/.371/.400 with four doubles and two RBI.   He was taking the right approach at the plate by not only looking to hit he ball the other way, but by also hitting it the other way with authority.  However, Conforto’s success wouldn’t carry forward.  Terry Collins outright refused to give him regular playing time.  He sat Conforto against lefties, and he sat him against tough righties like Justin Verlander and Jose Fernandez.  Collins sat Conforto at times in favor of Ty Kelly because apparently Collins thought Kelly gave the Mets a better chance to win.  By the way, the Mets are 7-14 in games in which Kelly plays.

Predictably, the young player gets lost on the bench, and he starts to press and lose his way.  Conforto began to slump, and he found himself amid a 2-20 slump.  In that stretch, Conforto only started in five of the Mets eight games, and he had only started 13 out of 23 possible games.  Naturally, the Mets decided to send Conforto back to the the minors . . . again . . . so he could get more playing time.  Apparently, this was a better solution than telling the manager the obvious – Play Conforto because he is a much better baseball player than Kelly.

In fact, Conforto, even at his worst, has been a better hitter than the other options the Mets have.  Even with Conforto struggling this year, consider this:

• Michael Conforto – hitting .200/.298/.340 with four doubles, one homer, and three RBI in the 19 games he played after he spent time in AAA
• Brandon Nimmo – hitting .237/.297/.288 with one homer and five RBI in 20 games with the Mets
• Ty Kelly – hitting .186/.280/.256 with one homer and four RBI in 21 games with the Mets
• T.J. Rivera – hitting .222/.211/.278 with a double and three RBI in six games (none in the outfield).

In relatively similar small sample sizes, Conforto has hit better than Nimmo, who had been called up in his stead when Conforto was first demoted.  Furthermore, Conforto has hit better than Kelly and Rivera, who the Mets have on the major league roster over Conforto now.

Also, take into consideration the Mets have a real center field problem.  The aforementioned Bruce is struggling in right field this year meaning he is not suited to play center field.  That leaves the Mets with the following two options to play in center field:

• Curtis Granderson – hitting .187/.265/.293 with two doubles, two homers, and two RBI in his last 20 games
• Alejandro De Aza – hitting .196/.339/.304 with two doubles, one homer, and three RBI in his last 20 games

Essentially, it is only Conforto who is being punished for being in a slump.  Remember that during an epic postgame rant following a 9-0 loss to the Padres on August 11th, Collins had this to say, “Starting tomorrow we’re going to get after it. And those that don’t want to get after it, I’ll find some who do. Because in Las Vegas there is a whole clubhouse of guys that want to sit in this room. And that’s all I have to say.”  (NJ.com).  After that game, Conforto was the only position player sent down because apparently he was the only player in that clubhouse that needed to be taught a lesson.

The end result is the Mets getting diminishing returns from Granderson as he is forced to play every day in center field.  It is also resulting in the Mets playing De Aza, who is once again slumping at the plate, against righties and Kelly, who cannot hit major league pitching, against lefties.  Even with his struggles, Conforto was better than the numbers those three are putting up right now.  Instead, the Mets would rather watch Conforto play everyday in AAA and tear the cover off the ball.  Since his ill advised punishment, sorry demotion, Conforto is 5-9 with a hit by pitch, three runs, a double, a homer, and two RBI.

This isn’t a AAA mirage either.  We’ve seen Conforto do that at the major league level.  However, in order for him to do that he actually has to play.  Instead, the Mets would rather leave him in the minors while fielding the worst possible team they can muster.  If the Mets really want to win, they would call up Conforto and play him everyday because at his worst, he’s still better than what the Mets are throwing out there right now.

Editor’s Note: this was first published on Mets Merized Online