San Francisco Giants Veteran Has Clear Goal for Remainder of Season

A San Francisco Giants veteran hitter has a clear goal to achieve down the stretch of the 2024 season.

Sep 6, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Francisco Giants designated hitter Michael Conforto (8) celebrates with San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (31) after hitting a one run home run during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. / David Frerker-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants had their playoff hopes for the 2024 season officially dashed on Thursday afternoon when Anthony Santander hit a walk-off two-run home run to give the Baltimore Orioles a 5-3 victory.

Despite being eliminated, there are still some players who have something to play for down the stretch. One of them with a clear goal is veteran outfielder Michael Conforto.

Conforto hit a two-run homer of his own on Thursday off red-hot starting pitcher Zach Eflin. It was his 18th of the season, giving him the most in a single season since 2019 when he smashed a career-high 33 with the New York Mets.

The 25 doubles and 62 RBI he has produced are also the most since that productive year with the Mets.

“Everything feels good,” Conforto said this week, via Joe Trezza of MLB.com. “I feel like my timing is good. I’m trying to stay in the middle of the field and I think that’s really helped.”

Feeling good is important to Conforto who has a lot to play for down the stretch. Playing on an expiring contract, a strong finish, and more importantly a healthy one, could lead to another multi-year deal being signed this offseason.

With 123 games played, he is on pace to make the most appearances since, you guessed it, 2019. 

Durability has been a concern for him at points in his career, but he has remained relatively healthy this year, missing three games earlier in September with oblique soreness and spending three weeks on the sidelines in May with a hamstring issue.

The 2022 season was missed after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder. At the very least, he is proving he is past that despite an underwhelming .232/.306/.433 slash line.

However, as shared by Trezza, there is a lot to like about what Conforto has done at the plate this season going beyond the basic counting stats.

“Conforto is hitting the ball as hard -- 90.1 mph average exit velocity, per Statcast -- as he has since 2016, when he was 23 years old. His bat speed ranks in the 80th percentile league-wide, and his barrel percentage has jumped from the 44th percentile last year to the 76th percentile this season. And his .294 batting average and .906 OPS against left-handed pitching are both career highs,” wrote Trezza.

That is a lot of positives for someone whose slash line is below their career averages. In the right situation, he could provide a team with a lot of value with a bat that is trending in the right direction despite being 31 years old.