Central Plains FFA Chapter

04/24 20:52 CDT Cubs' Michael Conforto gets his 2025 World Series ring from the Dodgers Cubs' Michael Conforto gets his 2025 World Series ring from the Dodgers By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) --- Michael Conforto enjoyed a highlight before the Chicago Cubs opened a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night. The Cubs' backup outfielder was visited by his former Dodgers teammates who brought quite a gift --- a 2025 World Series ring. The Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games to win a second straight championship. "Opening it, putting it on --- one of the coolest moments in my baseball career, for sure," Conforto said. "Right up there with dogpiling after Game 7." Conforto struggled mightily with the Dodgers, batting a career-worst .199 with 121 strikeouts playing on a $17 million, one-year deal. He didn't make the postseason roster and the team later let his contract expire. But all that was forgotten during the brief pregame reunion. "Really cool to see all the guys and just have them be excited for me to get my ring," he said. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, "I will definitely find Michael and congratulate him. I know he didn't perform the way that people would have liked and he would have liked, but I loved him on the team. I loved what he brought to the Dodgers." Conforto showed the gaudy ring that contains another ring inside it and the box featuring video highlights of the 2025 season to a couple teammates at his locker in the visiting clubhouse. "It's totally the way L.A. does it. That's how they do things, different and grand," he said. "It's really cool that they put a second ring in there so you can wear it a little bit more low-key." There was nothing low-key about Conforto's time in Los Angeles. Agitated fans practically begged Roberts to leave him out of the lineup, but Conforto appeared in 138 games, mostly in left field. He had 36 RBIs, 56 walks and a .638 OPS. "Naturally, I wanted to go over there and slug with the superstars," he said of being on a team with Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, among others. "I put my energy in a place that kind of put me at a disadvantage. Those are good lessons to bring with me and things I think about a lot." Conforto signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs and made the opening day roster. He's hitting .304 in 23 at-bats, with seven hits, five RBIs, seven walks and 10 strikeouts. His disappointing year in Los Angeles taught Conforto an important lesson about priorities. "My focus needed to be on moving runners, having good at bats, getting guys in from third with less than two outs, the little baseball things, and less about having a big swing, hitting the homer," he said. "Those things happen organically. When you're going out there and trying to do it, it's going to be really hard for you." Conforto credits Roberts for backing him while at the same time telling him the truth. "He stuck with me for a long time and continued to be positive with me. At the same time, he was real honest about what he needed to see from me and that's all you can ask for as a player," Conforto said. "It helped pull me out of the huge slump that I was in and I made myself valuable enough to keep around. I owe that to him for sticking with me." His mother, Tracie Ruiz-Conforto, won two gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, when artistic swimming made its Olympic debut. "Finally have something that is on the same level," Conforto said, "but she's got two gold, so I got to get another ring." ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb