Craig Counsell Addresses Cubs’ Michael Conforto Signing for the First Time

The Chicago Cubs shocked the league earlier this week when signing Michael Conforto to a minor league contract.

The move was unexpected, especially after Chicago came to terms with veteran outfielders Chas McCormick and Dylan Carlson on minor league deals. That said, of the three, Conforto could possibly offer the highest upside, at least offensively.

Despite struggling with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 138 games last year, Conforto still hit 20 home runs for the San Francisco Giants the season prior.

His best season by far came as a member of the New York Mets in 2019, where he hit a career-high 33 home runs to go along with 29 doubles, 92 RBIs and a .257 batting average.

Michael Conforto | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Nearing his 33rd birthday, Conforto should have plenty of opportunities to resuscitate his career.

For Los Angeles last season, Conforto posted the first season of his 10-year career with negative WAR, finishing with -0.7. He also hit a career-low .199, and despite hitting 12 home runs, he racked up strikeouts. Conforto struck out 121 times in 486 plate appearances, nearly 25%.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell spoke to the media at Spring Training this week, addressing the signing as well as Conforto’s struggles last season.

“I think at this point we’re just looking to bring in candidates to strengthen the roster,” said Counsell. “Michael (Conforto) had a down year last year but has been a good player in this league for quite a while. Sometimes when you sign guys it’s like: Where is the opportunity here? And then we show up in five days and there’s a big opportunity.”

Counsell concluded by saying: “He’s a player that has had a lot of success in this league and if he can recapture some of that, we’re going to have a useful player.”

Looking at Conforto’s metrics from last season, there’s reason to believe he could get back on track.

Reasons Conforto could return to form

According to Baseball Savant, Conforto was still in the top 77th percentile or higher in bat speed (77th), chase rate (82nd) and walk percentage (84th). Although his xBA (Expected Batting Average) of .233 was quite low, it’s worth noting that it was much higher than his true average of .199.

When taking Conforto’s metrics from 2024 into consideration as well, there’s certainly enough reason to believe he can regain success. In 2024 with the Giants, Conforto finished in the 75th percentile in six different offensive categories and played slightly better defense.

That said, don’t expect Conforto’s defense to be the deciding factor on his inclusion in the lineup. Conforto’s use will almost certainly depend on his offensive production and the Cubs’ need in that area.

Chas McCormick is far and away the favorite to be called up as a defensive replacement, with a whopping 32 career OAA (Outs Above Average).

All in all, Conforto makes for a solid depth signing even if he’s unable to revert back to his previous form.