As the Mets enter the All-Star break they see themselves sitting five games over .500, one game back of the second wild card spot and two games back of the NL East. This in itself almost seems like a miracle with the injuries the team has suffered throughout the first half of the season. David Wright has been missing since April and Travis d'Arnaud has only been scattered here and there because of two different stints on the DL. Michael Cuddyer is once again being plagued by his bad knees and the Mets rank 28th in runs scored and dead last in team batting average as the first half of the 2015 season comes to a close. 

The Mets pitching staff has carried this team to the 47-42 record and in order to make a run at October a change in the lineup to get this team hitting need to be made - but that change shouldn't be calling up top prospect Michael Conforto. 

Conforto has settled exceptionally well into professional baseball having a collective .295 average, 10 home runs and 49 RBIs between both St. Lucie and Binghamton in 2015. His performance so far this year even got him a nod to the Futures All-Star game where he showcased his bat, going 2-2 with two singles, and also exhibited his arm in left field throwing out a runner at home plate. Ever since he joined the Mets' squad in Spring Training Conforto has shown time and time again the great player he has the ability to be. 

Though, even if Conforto is MLB ready now, he still has plenty of room to develop and improve. Without even a full season in the organization under his belt yet, a second half of 2015 in the Minor Leagues could turn Conforto from a future great player to a future superstar.

Fans saw this in the Futures All-Star when he threw an absolute laser to home plate to cut down the runner trying to score. One of the biggest negatives for Conforto coming out of last years' draft was his fielding ability, only have played the OF since his freshman at Oregon State. But that strike he threw from left field in the Futures Game showed you just how much he has improved only in the last year. Conforto is an incredible hard worker and will only get better the more time he has to progress. 

This situation is very resemblant of the Noah Syndergaard situation in the second half of last season. There was no doubt in anybody's mind that Syndergaard was MLB ready in 2014 and fans were screaming at the organization to have him called-up. Syndergaard had a lot more minor league experience at this point last year than Conforto but he also had things he needed to work on, e.g. his control. The Mets' waited on Syndergaard and didn't rush him to the MLB and look at him now. His control has never been finer and he had time to work on that two-seam fastball which has made him almost unhittable in some starts this season. 

When an organization has a top prospect like Conforto it's a very delicate process. As the great Yogi Berra once said, "baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical." Conforto might have the confidence now but what will happen if he does get the call to the MLB this year and has to play most of his games in the hitter's hell that is Citi Field? Expectations for this kid are already at an all-time high. Every fan knows that he is the future of the Mets' outfield. If Conforto comes up to the MLB and struggles like most hitters do at Citi Field, those high expectations will cause the New York fans and media to eat him alive. And the young 22 year-old, who barely has played a year of professional baseball, will have all that confidence sucked out of him. 

Playing out the rest of 2015 in the Minors could give Michael Conforto the time he needs to progress to a level where his talent will meet, and possibly even exceed, his expectations. When this writer had the chance to talk with Conforto a month ago in Portland, ME you could feel the confidence and excitement surrounding everybody. From his teammates, to his coaches, to the fans and to Conforto himself, there is no question he has the talent to be something special. 

A call-up to the MLB in 2015 could severely jeopardize just how special Michael Conforto could be.