SF Giants outfielder Michael Conforto reaches key milestone for contract

After recording his 350th plate appearance of the season, SF Giants outfielder Michael Conforto can now opt out of his contract this offseason.

Marc Delucchi | Jul 31, 2023

SF Giants outfielder Michael Conforto reaches key milestone for contract /

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San Francisco Giants

Outfielder Michael Conforto went 1-for-3 with a walk in the SF Giants 4-3 extra-inning victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday afternoon. However, in the broad scheme of things, Conforto's second plate appearance of the day had some notable implications. Conforto recorded his 350th plate appearance of the season in the bottom of the fourth inning, reaching the threshold in his contract that turns the second year of his two-year, $36 million deal into an opt-out.

SF Giants outfielder Michael Conforto hits a three-run home run against the Minnesota Twins (2023). — SF Giants OF Michael Conforto hits a three-run homer against the Twins (2023) / Jesse Johnson -USA TODAY Sports

It's hard to project whether Conforto will exercise the opt-out in his contract. The 30-year-old outfielder has been passable this season, hitting .241/.331/.401 with 10 doubles and a team-leading 13 home runs. However, he did the vast majority of his damage over a scorching hot 22-game stretch from May 10th through June 8th, when he hit two doubles, eight home runs, and posted a 1.115 OPS.

If Conforto finishes the season on his current trajectory, it's hard to envision him opting out of his contract. That said, Conforto has a strong track record and has been healthy all season, which was the biggest question heading into the year after missing the entire 2022 campaign with a shoulder injury. It's not out of the question that Conforto could end up landing a sizable multi-year deal if he finishes the season strong.

Prior to joining the Giants, Conforto spent his entire career with the Mets. A Seattle, Washington native, Conforto hit .259/.358/.484 with 30 home runs per 162 games from 2015-2020. In fact, Conforto hit at least 27 homers in a season for three consecutive years from 2017-2019. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Conforto posted a .322/.412/.515 line with 12 doubles and 9 home runs in 54 games.

Injuries clearly limited Conforto in 2021, leading him to record a slugging percentage under .400 for the first time in his career. In fact, his .232/.344/.384 triple-slash that season is fairly comparable to his production this year with the SF Giants.

Published Jul 31, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).