NEW YORK _ Watching Michael Conforto each day has provided a flashback for Jose Reyes to what it was like to see David Wright in his 20s.
"He shows up early, he works hard every day, that's what a leader does," Reyes said. "If you saw ten years ago David Wright and what he's capable of doing _ he shows up early every day, he works hard every day, he wants to be in the lineup every single day.
"I see Michael the same way."
Reyes pointed to those qualities as to reasons why Conforto can be a leader in the Mets clubhouse, and the outfielder is going to have to step into that role now with a handful of veterans traded. The clubhouse is without Curtis Granderson, Jay Bruce, Neil Walker after they were traded, and Wright has yet to play this season due to an injury.
Conforto said he's ready to embrace the role of being a team leader, and he drove in the go-ahead run in an 8-1 win over the Marlins on Saturday night at Citi Field.
"You have to embrace it and I'm excited for it," Conforto said. "That's the only way I can look at it is to look forward to it and try to help the guys who are coming up now as much as I can because I do have some experience and I have been through some stuff. Hopefully I can do what I can to help them get as comfortable as possible."
As the Mets have traded their veterans on expiring deals, it has removed the team's experienced leaders who had a strong presence in the clubhouse. Granderson, Walker and Bruce provided a strong example for the team's youngsters to follow, and were often looked upon to speak to the media about the team following tough defeats.
Conforto has emerged as the team's best position player this year, and that makes him a logical fit to fill the leadership void. The 24-year-old is a first-time All-Star who is well-respected by his peers after bouncing back from his rough 2016 campaign.
The slugger also is set to be one of the faces of the franchise for years to come, and players in that role are usually looked upon to provide leadership.
Conforto mentioned that it will be up to him, the young starting pitchers and Travis d'Arnaud to help pass on the messages they were taught by others.
"We all kind of have that experience of how you go about your business here, and carry on the legacy that Curtis and, for me, Michael Cuddyer and Jay Bruce, all the guys that kind of shaped my experience here," Conforto said prior to Saturday's game. "Just try to carry that on because I think (the veterans) did a great job with that."
Mets manager Terry Collins downplayed the importance of having Conforto step into a leadership role. He would prefer Conforto focuses on a strong finish.
"There's enough going on with with him that he needs to go and just play. We'll worry about the leadership at another time," Collins said. "Ultimately, down the road in the big picture he'll be a huge force in the clubhouse but he's going enough going on to finish the last two months the way he came into them: playing well and swinging well."
Reyes said that "time will tell" if Conforto can come lose to resembling the type of leader Wright was, but he sees a bright future for the outfielder.
"He's going to be a leader in the clubhouse," Reyes said. "I feel like he's going to be here a long time. I see him like what David Wright did for this team later on."
Conforto broke a 1-1 tie Saturday night with a bullet that shortstop Miguel Rojas failed to field, and two runs scored on the error. The Mets (54-67) scored seven runs that inning by capitalizing on three errors, and Rafael Montero (2-8) allowed one run in six innings.
Dominic Smith also hit his first homer at Citi Field to help snap the five-game losing skid.
