Conforto, Nimmo to play in Futures Game
Mets' young outfielders named to U.S. Team
MILWAUKEE -- Barely a year removed from college, Michael Conforto's first full Minor League season has already included an aggressive Spring Training assignment to Class A St. Lucie, a midseason promotion to Double-A Binghamton and a growing chorus of fans who want him in the Majors now.
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That last part will have to wait. But Conforto received yet another accolade on Thursday, when Major League Baseball named him and Brandon Nimmo to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game's U.S. Team. Both outfielders will represent the Mets on Sunday, July 12 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
The 17th annual SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game takes place at 3 p.m. ET on July 12, and it can be seen live on MLB Network and MLB.com, with Matt Vasgersian, Dan Plesac, Heidi Watney and Jonathan Mayo on the call. In addition, SiriusXM Radio will broadcast play-by-play coverage of the event live on MLB Network Radio (XM channel 89; Sirius channel 209). MLB.com will also provide complete coverage before, during and after the game. Fans can stay updated by following @FuturesGame on Twitter and can send/receive tweets to/from the U.S. and World dugouts during the game by tagging tweets with the hashtags #USDugout and #WorldDugout.
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Conforto, 22, was the Mets' top pick in last year's First-Year Player Draft, and the 10th overall selection. He is a career .313 hitter with 12 home runs in 110 Minor League games, seven of the homers coming during a 46-game stint in St. Lucie. Since his promotion to Binghamton, Conforto has hit .346 with a 1.016 OPS in 22 games. He is the game's No. 67 prospect, according to MLB.com, and third in the Mets organization.
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In Cincinnati, Conforto will join Binghamton teammate Nimmo, who last appeared on a Futures Game roster in 2013. The No. 59 prospect in baseball and second on the Mets, Nimmo has missed much of this season with a sprained ACL in his left knee, but he is batting .310 in 11 games since his return. The Mets' top overall Draft pick in 2011, Nimmo broke out last year with a .278 average, 21 doubles, nine triples and 10 home runs in 127 games split between two levels.
Last year's Mets Futures Game participants, pitcher Noah Syndergaard and catcher Kevin Plawecki, have both spent most of this season in the big leagues. There is a good chance that Conforto and Nimmo follow their paths by debuting in 2016.
Major League Baseball, in conjunction with the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau, MLB.com, Baseball America and the 30 Major League Clubs, selected the 25 players currently on each team. Ken Griffey Sr. will manage the U.S. Team, while Tony Perez will be the skipper of the World Team.