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May 23

Michael Conforto on his secret ambition, new diet and roommate split – New York Post

Diet Comments Off on Michael Conforto on his secret ambition, new diet and roommate split – New York Post

Young Mets outfielder Michael Conforto takes a swing at some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.

Q: It is so rare for one guy to have his entire career in New York Derek Jeter had it. Is that something youve thought of, spending your entire career as a Met? A: If it all works out that way, absolutely. I dont see why not. But a lot of things have to happen in order for that to happen that way. Derek was very fortunate to be able to do that. I definitely wouldnt be against it. Id love to be here for my career. But well worry about that when it comes time to make those decisions.

Q: Why do you enjoy playing in New York? A: I love the city. It does get overwhelming at times, but I love the energy in the city, the passionate fans. You dont get that everywhere. And when you travel to places that dont have the fans that we have, or just the energy of New York, its a different feeling. It would be much harder to come out and play every single day without that buzz in the stadium. Although right now has been a tough time for our team, our fans still show up and they still are passionate, and they still make it fun to come out and play every single day.

Q: Do you set career goals? A: I definitely have an idea of where I want to end up, thats for sure.

Q: Tell me about that idea. A: Its really something that I keep to myself probably. I think everyone knows that as a competitive person I want to be the best that I can be. But I dont feel like that needs to be out there for everyone to know.

Q: Except you once told me you wanted to be a Hall of Famer. A: If youre not shooting high, what are you doing playing the game, you know? So why not shoot as high as you can? I definitely have my expectations, I guess.

Q: What is it about your game that gives you the confidence that you can aspire to have those expectations? A: I think I can do a lot of things. I think I can hit to all fields. Im confident in my approach at the plate, and I think Im still learning as far as growing as a hitter. Im very confident in the way that I can play the outfield. And I think, like I said, Im just continuing to grow as a player, so I dont see a ceiling for myself as far as who Ican be as a player.

Q: The scouting reports early on were that you were an average defender. Did that motivate you to prove that wrong? A: Yeah, definitely. I didnt feel like that was accurate. Every time I would hear that, it would motivate me to get better. It didnt make me angry, but it definitely motivated me to show that that wasnt true.

Q: How comforting is it to know that youre here to stay whereas as recently as spring training you might have had to worry about that? A: Its a good feeling. I definitely have experience with that not being the case, like you said. Spring training, the position was definitely not for certain, and that was definitely in my mind coming to the field every day, I was working towards just being on the team, as opposed to the year before I kind of had the starting job already there for me.

Q: How much was your pride stung when you were sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas last August? A: I dont know about my pride being stung. I think it was just a learning experience for me. Its definitely an example of the way that baseball can humble you, bring you back down to earth a little bit. And definitely a motivating experience. So I wouldnt say my pride was stung or it really put me in a bad place. I think what it really did was motivated me and just kind of opened my eyes a little bit. I took a step back and reflected on what I could do to make myself better, and made sure that I stuck to that.

Q: Did you feel like you were getting complacent maybe? A: I think its a combination of a lot of things. I think I had some very high expectations for myself. Maybe they were unrealistic. Maybe I was looking too far ahead, of getting away from the present moment worrying about what I needed to do that day. I was young, I think I needed that experience just to grow up a little bit. So I think having been through that, I definitely have a different perspective on how I come out and go about my business.

Q: Well, how high were your expectations at that point? A: I just wanted to continue to go on that steady incline. I came up at 22, I went to the World Series, everything was good had a great month of April, and figured that everything would just continue to kind of go on that steady incline, when baseball is a game of ups and downs, and being able to deal with the downs 70 percent of the time as opposed to just the ups 30 percent of the time if youre a Hall of Famer. I got into a tough stretch, and I think I just tried to do too much.

Q: And you feel different? A: Just not as, I guess, tired coming to the park, tired during games. Not to say that I was exhausted the second month of the season, but I think you can feel those little differences, just being a little bit more healthy, I think it goes a long way. It shows up on the field obviously.

Q: Where is your confidence on a scale of 1-10, as opposed to where it was the day you were sent down? A: I dont want to say my confidence was shot just because I was getting sent down. I knew I was a great player. Obviously I went down and tore it up in Triple-A, so I had all the confidence in the world. Obviously youre gonna be a little upset getting sent down, and right now Im playing well, so Im feeling pretty good. I think my confidence is always there, so its tough for me to compare those two situations, but Id say my confidence is at a 10. Back then it was at a 10 it was just a tough situation back then.

Q: What would you say was the low point? A: If I had to pick a point, it would probably be when I got sent down, probably the second time last year. But like I said, I dont look at it now as a negative thing, I look at it as something that I grew from, and I wanted to make sure that I didnt look back at it as a negative thing more looking at it as the best thing that could have happened to me.

Q: A quote from you: I changed the way I was living. Can you elaborate on that? A: I wanted to have discipline in all areas of my life, whether that was what I was eating. Was I staying disciplined in my workouts? My family, making sure that Im seeing them, seeing my grandparents, my aunts and my uncles, my sister, everybody in my family. Just kind of in all areas of my life I wanted to have the discipline to be the person that I wanted to be.

Q: In what way did you change your diet? A: Stopped getting fast food, started making my own food for myself. Just a whole lot of chicken breast and broccoli and riceand avocado. Make my own breakfast in the morning kind of like prep my meals for the week. Id cook a bunch of food on a Sunday, and put it in Tupperware and stuff just to make sure I had meals for right after my workouts and stuff. In the past I would go to Chipotle, or I would go to a restaurant, grab some food, takeout, for after my workouts or whatever. I just never really paid attention to what I was eating, what I was putting in my body, and this offseason was a big change from that, just paying a little bit more attention to what I was fueling myself with.At the end I was [7 pounds] lighter, but I definitely lost a lot of fat, put on some muscle.

Q: You admire Tom Brady. A: Hes got a very strict diet, kind of shows how you can perform at a level that he does at his age.

Q: What was the most impactful text your mother sent you after you were sent down? A: I cant remember exactly what she said, but she told me to not let it get me down, to use it as a driving force to tear it up in the minor leagues, do everything I need to do to get back, and then go from there.

Q: What makes Kevin Long a good hitting coach? A: Other than just the fact that he knows hitting, hes worked with a lot of great hitters, what sets him apart is the energy that he brings on a daily basis. Ive never been around a guy who just kind of overflows with positive energy.

Q: If you could pick the brain of one hitter in history, who would it be? A: Ted Williams. I havent read his book, but Ive read some things that hes said talking about hitting, talking about the ideal swing being slightly upward on the plane with the pitch. It seems like he was kind of ahead of his time with all the launch-angle-type stuff going on now, guys trying to get the ball in the air and its just incredible to think about hitting .400 over the course of the season.

Q: Why are you off Twitter now? A: I just backed off of social media just tried to focus on stuff in the real world, and focus on baseball and just things that I felt like were more important my relationships with my team, my family, my friends, all that stuff.

Q: What is your best Mets moment? A: Its gotta be the two home runs in the World Series [2015, Game 4 against the Royals].

Q: How badly do you feel for David Wright? A: I was a fan of his growing up, watching him play. Its definitely tough to watch [him sidelined with a right shoulder impingement]. But just from talking to him, he doesnt want you to feel sorry for him. Hell tell you that hes had a great career, hes done all the things that he wants to and that hes still working towards being able to play. Knowing him and knowing the type of guy he is and what he means for this team, it is tough to watch, but I know that he wants the best for us, to keep doing what were doing and continue to grind on.

Q: What is your worst fear? A: If Im being completely honest, I hate heights. I like to stay on the ground. Being on my balcony, Im a little uncomfortable to be honest.

Q: You still live on the Upper East side but no longer with Noah Syndergaard? A: I guess its partially because of the uncertainty of whether or not Id be here to start the year. Really, I feel like Im never there, you know? (chuckle) Spend so much time here at the field.

Q: What do you like about that area? A: I guess its a little quieter than a lot of places in Manhattan. Its definitely kind of a neighborhood area, lots of families, lots of dogs everywhere. Its got everything though, youre definitely in the middle of Manhattan, but I have some peace and quiet a little bit.

Q: But you must be recognized all the time. A: Not as much as you think. I think I was recognized more when I first came up.

Q: Favorite NYC restaurants? A: Campagnola, Scalinatella. I love the New York Italian spots.

Q: What is it like being Michael Conforto? A: I dont feel like I live a glamorous lifestyle or any of that. I get to wake up every day and do what I love. I just want to play baseball and win.

See original here:
Michael Conforto on his secret ambition, new diet and roommate split - New York Post

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