Cubs are getting the full Michael Conforto experience Dodgers fans warned about

Checking in on Michael Conforto every few weeks has been a new pastime for the more morbidly curious Los Angeles Dodgers fans this year. He signed with the Chicago Cubs on a minor-league deal during spring training, broke camp, and then did exactly what Dodgers fans were used to see from him; he struck out a lot. In early April, he even ruined a potential Edward Cabrera no-hitter when he misjudged a fly ball to right field.

But then he actually ... started to get better? After the spoiled no-hitter on April 5, he embarked on a 22-game streak of excellence at the plate. While still mostly utilized as a pinch-hitter, he clearly gained some trust from Cubs manager Craig Counsell — enough to earn a few starts. From April 6 through May 17, he hit .383 with a 1.227 OPS and looked like the clutchest player alive.

It looked like the Cubs had cracked the code the Dodgers never could (or maybe they were never even willing to try). Conforto has almost exclusively faced right-handed pitching in Chicago, and for the most part, it's worked.

But a switch flipped after May 17, and he turned back into the pumpkin Dodgers fans know all too well. Since then, he's hitting .070 with a .312 OPS. Unsurprisingly, Cubs fans have gone right back to calling for his head.

Cubs fans are seeing the Michael Conforto downturn Dodgers fans knew was coming

Conforto had a couple of decent stretches with the Dodgers last year too; as hard as that might be to believe. He came out the gate hot in Dodger blue, collecting a hit in all of his first five games — four of which were doubles — and he hit .273 with an .827 OPS in July, by far his best month in LA.

But it was just that stretch that seemed to trick the Dodgers' front office into keeping him throughout the duration of his contract, even though they had better options raring to go in Triple-A. Given how long the Cubs have already stuck with Conforto, they might end up making the same mistake. But at least Chicago doesn't owe him the $17 million LA gave him last year.

At the end of the day, Conforto's no longer a Dodger and it's not our business anymore. But that isn't going to stop us from feeling some not-so-quiet satisfaction whenever he proves us right.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow