Michael Conforto Bio
Michael Thomas Conforto, nicknamed “Scooter,” is an American professional baseball outfielder who has spent more than a decade in Major League Baseball. He is best known for his powerful left-handed bat and his tenure with the New York Mets, the organization that drafted him tenth overall in 2014. Across his career, he has suited up for the Mets, the San Francisco Giants, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Chicago Cubs.
Conforto earned an All-Star selection in 2017 and was named to the All-MLB Second Team as an outfielder in 2020. After reaching free agency, he battled back from a shoulder injury that cost him the 2022 season to keep producing at the big-league level. He is married to Cabernet Burns, with whom he has one son, and he makes his offseason home in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Early Life and Background
Michael Thomas Conforto was born on March 1, 1993, and grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where athletics were a central part of family life. He attended Redmond High School in Redmond, Washington, where he starred in multiple sports, earning second-team All-State honors as a quarterback and patrolling the secondary as a safety on the football team. Ivy League programs showed interest in him as a football recruit, underscoring the kind of athleticism that would later help him in the outfield.
On the diamond, Conforto progressed quickly, batting .310 as a sophomore, .361 as a junior, and .400 as a senior, with All-State and All-League recognition in his final two seasons. After entertaining offers from several Pac-12 programs, he chose Oregon State University to continue his baseball career. Earlier, as a youth player, he had represented the Northwest Region in the Little League World Series in 2004, an experience that gave him an early taste of high-stakes competition.
Path to Professional Baseball
Conforto’s college career at Oregon State was a launching pad. As a freshman in 2012, he set a school single-season record with 76 runs batted in and was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, then represented USA Baseball on its collegiate national team that summer. He helped lead the Beavers to the College World Series in 2013, where his All-Tournament performance earned him Pac-12 Player of the Year and first-team All-American recognition.
Heading into 2014, Conforto was a preseason Sporting News College Baseball Player of the Year and a finalist for both the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy. That pedigree convinced the New York Mets to take him with the tenth overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft. He signed for a $2.97 million bonus and quickly advanced through the minor leagues, earning a Baseball America Short-Season All-Star nod in Brooklyn before reaching Triple-A Las Vegas in 2016, where he posted a 1.209 OPS.
Michael Conforto Career
Early Career (2014–2015)
After signing with the Mets, Conforto opened his professional career in the New York-Penn League and rose through the lower levels, showcasing a patient, left-handed power stroke. He climbed from Class A-Short Season to Class A-Advanced St. Lucie in 2015, then to Double-A Binghamton, where he was named an FSL Mid-Season All-Star and earned a spot in the All-Star Futures Game. His quick ascent through the minors set the stage for a midseason promotion to the majors.
Conforto made his MLB debut on July 24, 2015, against the Cincinnati Reds, picking up his first major-league RBI in the process. He homered for the first time on August 3 off Miami’s Tom Koehler and finished his rookie year with a .270/.335/.506 line, plus nine home runs. The Mets won the National League pennant that October, and Conforto added two home runs in Game 4 of the World Series, becoming the first rookie to homer twice in a World Series game since Andruw Jones in 1996.
New York Mets Breakthrough (2016–2021)
In 2016, Conforto became the Mets’ everyday left fielder, though a midseason slump led to a brief demotion to Triple-A Las Vegas. He returned to play all three outfield spots, finishing with 12 home runs and an elite 115.0 mph maximum exit velocity. The next season, he broke out as a middle-of-the-order force, batting .279/.384/.555 with 27 home runs and earning an All-Star selection, though a dislocated left shoulder ended his year in late August.
Conforto rebounded with 28 home runs and 82 runs batted in for the Mets in 2018, then posted career highs of 33 home runs and 92 runs batted in during 2019, highlighted by his first career grand slam against the Dodgers. The shortened 2020 season was arguably his most complete year, as he hit .322/.412/.515, was named All-MLB Second Team, and led NL outfielders in assists. After a difficult 2021 campaign in which he rejected a $100 million extension, his Mets tenure ended on an emotional note at Citi Field.
San Francisco Giants Era (2023–2024)
Following a lost 2022 season due to right shoulder surgery, Conforto signed a two-year, $36 million contract with the San Francisco Giants on January 6, 2023, with an opt-out clause. After his first season, he opted in for 2024 at $18 million rather than testing the market again. In two seasons with the Giants, he appeared in 255 games and added 35 home runs, a .238 batting average, a .740 OPS, and a 108 OPS+, providing steady veteran production in the heart of the lineup.
Los Angeles Dodgers Era (2025)
Conforto joined the Los Angeles Dodgers on a one-year, $17 million contract in December 2024 and entered 2025 as the team’s starting left fielder. The season, however, was the toughest of his career: he played 138 games but posted a slash line of .199/.305/.333, the lowest marks of any season in the majors. Even as the fan base called for his release, the Dodgers leaned on him in a platoon role, though he was ultimately left off their postseason roster as the team went on to win the World Series.
Chicago Cubs Era (2026–Present)
On February 23, 2026, Conforto signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs that included a non-roster invitation to spring training. Less than a month later, the Cubs announced that he had made their Opening Day roster, and his contract was officially selected on March 25. On May 3, 2026, he delivered his first career walk-off home run, a pinch-hit shot that gave the Cubs a 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
Driving Style and Strengths
Conforto is a left-handed power bat with a polished approach at the plate, pairing a strong walk rate with hard contact that has routinely placed him in the top percentiles of the league in maximum exit velocity. He is a fundamentally sound corner outfielder with a strong arm, a trait he has shown both in right and left field, and he has shown the ability to handle all three outfield spots when asked.
Notable Events and Milestones
Conforto’s most celebrated milestone came in the 2015 World Series, when he became only the third player ever to appear in the Little League World Series, College World Series, and Major League World Series. He is a one-time MLB All-Star, a one-time All-MLB Second Team selection, and the holder of a rare walk-off hit-by-pitch that decided a Mets-Marlins game in April 2021.
Michael Conforto Career Wins
Although wins are a pitching statistic, Conforto’s career has been defined by signature victories, postseason runs, and big-league milestones. His first full season in 2015 ended with a National League pennant and a historic World Series performance, while his prime years in New York produced an All-Star nod and an All-MLB selection. Even on difficult stops later in his career, he continued to flash the power that made him a top draft pick.
Major League Highlights
Conforto has played 11 major-league seasons across four organizations, compiling 183 home runs and 569 runs batted in through the early portion of 2026. He is a one-time All-Star and a one-time All-MLB Second Team honoree, and he helped carry the Mets to the 2015 National League pennant as a rookie. More recently, he delivered his first career walk-off home run with the Cubs in 2026.
Michael Conforto Family
Family Background and Athletic Lineage
Conforto comes from a deeply athletic family. His mother, Tracie Conforto, is a three-time Olympic medalist in synchronized swimming, and his father, Mike, played inside linebacker at Penn State. His sister, Jacqueline, played soccer at Azusa Pacific University, completing a household in which elite competition was the everyday norm.
Personal Life
Conforto got engaged to Cabernet Burns in January 2021, and the couple married in December of the same year. Their first child, a son named Camden, was born in December 2023. When he is not on a major-league roster, Conforto resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.
2025 Season Performance
Conforto’s 2025 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers was the most difficult of his career. Signed to a one-year, $17 million deal in December 2024, he opened the year as the starting left fielder but struggled to find rhythm at the plate, finishing the regular season with a .199/.305/.333 slash line across 138 games. The fan base grew vocal in calling for his release, and the club eventually deployed him in a platoon role alongside Alex Call.
Even with his regular playing time shrinking, Conforto remained a presence in the Dodgers’ clubhouse, offering veteran leadership to a contender. He was, however, left off the Dodgers’ postseason roster as the club won the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, marking the first time in his career that he was not part of an active playoff run.
Heading into the next chapter, Conforto joined the Chicago Cubs on a minor league deal in February 2026, made the Opening Day roster, and was still adding to his totals as a contributor in Wrigleyville. His power bat and outfield versatility figure to remain in demand as he continues his bounce-back bid in 2026 and beyond.
