Mets rookie left fielder Michael Conforto fielded some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.

Q: Since you’ve come up to the big leagues, what’s the biggest thing you’ve learned about yourself?

A: I’ve learned that in big situations and big crowds, I don’t get that anxiety to a really high level that I used to, I guess. I’ve kind of been able to lock in my focus at those times, and use tools that I’ve learned over the years in college, coming here, talking to people. Breathing has been a big part of it, controlling breathing. Making sure that things don’t speed up on me. And that’s something I’ve taken pride in. Coming up here, I expected to be really, really anxious and nervous, and I think I was surprised in my first at-bat in my first game how comfortable I felt, and so I kind of learned that about myself that I really don’t get too nervous or anxious in those big situations.

Q: What was the worst anxiety situation you ever had?

A: Surprisingly, I was in a home run derby when I was 16. And it was kind of a big home run derby, it was at Chase Field in Arizona, and there were 100 kids in it.

I remember being so nervous when it was my time to go hit that I didn’t even feel like I could swing and hit the baseball. I don’t know why, but the lights were bright, the spotlight was on me, and it was my turn to show what I could do, and I was just so nervous I felt like I could barely move. I remember that feeling, and it’s kind of foreign to me. That’s why it’s kind of surprising to me to be here and not have that feeling anymore.

Q: How did you work on your breathing? Did you see somebody?

A: Yeah, well in college [Oregon State], as a team thing, we had mental coaches come in and just talk about baseball being such a mental game: Why is it that you can execute things in practice, you can get a bunt down or you can hit the ball the other way, or batting practice, low-pressure situations, you can hit the ball all over the place and then you get into a big situation, and things all of a sudden change?

Nothing changes, the pitcher’s still 60 feet, 6 inches, the bases are still 90 feet. … Only thing that’s changed is inside your head, and I guess the surroundings, more people there, more pressure on the situation, but none of that changes the job that you have to do.

One of the physical things that happens is you take shorter breaths and your breathing is kind of abnormal when there’s high pressure, and so you just have to learn to notice when that’s happening and then take a second to relax your breathing and kind of control it a little bit, take deep breaths, and make sure that you slow down.

And so coming into pro ball, we had a meeting in spring training and they brought in Navy SEAL snipers who talked about doing the same things, controlling their breathing, slowing their heart rates, and obviously the stakes are much higher in their situations, people die if they don’t get their jobs done.

Q: What drives you?

A: I think the love for the game is a big motivating force. You have your goals and your expectations of yourself. My family has an athletic background, and that was all I ever wanted to do as a kid was play sports and do that stuff . Really it just kind of comes from inside of you. It’s all you’ve ever wanted to do. It’s a childhood dream, so within that, there’s your family, your friends, all the coaches that you’ve had growing up getting you to where you want to be, and it kind of all lumps together into one motivation, and me personally is in there, too. It’s a combination of family, friends, your love for the sport and your expectations of yourself.

Q: What are your expectations?

A: I’ve had a lot of goals throughout. … Your goals keep going up and up. … Luckily I was drafted to this team. … Then the goal was to get to the big leagues as quickly as possible. Now I’m up here, I just wanted to contribute and help the team, do whatever I could to stay up here and win some ball games, get to the playoffs and now, the goal is to win a World Series. But I think the ultimate goal … I want to be a Hall of Famer someday.

If I would have said that in high school — I was kind of splitting time between baseball and football — I think that’s kind of an astronomical goal at that time. It’s still pretty astronomical, but I think it’s not out of reach, and I think if you work hard and you do all the things right, and you believe in yourself, then who knows what can happen? That’s a selfish goal, I guess, but I want to win games at the major league level, I want to win World Series championships, and that’s really what is driving me now.

Q: Describe your on-field mentality.

A: Competitive and focused, that’s what I try to be out there, and execute whenever I can.

Q: What’s it like playing outfield behind Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard?

A: (Smile) It can get boring sometimes. Those guys are dominant, and it’s really fun to watch from my view just how good they are pitching.

Q: What have you learned about Yoenis Cespedes?

A: He loves country music. He’s quiet, but he’s a great teammate. He makes sure when he comes in every day, he gives a fist-bump to everybody in the clubhouse, makes his rounds. He’s a huge competitor, hates losing. He’s a really, really motivated person.

He’ll underhand the ball back in, and he does all these things. He’s got a flair to his game, but at the root of it all he wants to win, and he wants to perform.

Q: Can you sense how intimidating a presence he is in the batter’s box?

A: Absolutely. He swings the bat hard, hits the ball hard when he does make contact. I think he definitely does put fear into a lot of pitchers. They’d rather not face him if they don’t have to.

Q: Describe Mets fans.

A: Extremely passionate. There’s been some disappointing years in the recent past, and to get back to winning a division for ’em, it’s pretty cool their reaction to it, and their excitement about it brings excitement to the team as well. We know how badly they wanted it. We know how badly we wanted it. They got our backs every time we go out there.

Q: Ken Griffey Jr. was your guy growing up, but whose swing do you like watching now?

A: Carlos Gonzalez, Anthony Rizzo, obviously Miguel Cabrera.

Q: Pick one pitcher in history to test your skills.

A: I don’t know if I would want to face Randy Johnson, to be honest, but I think it’d be pretty cool to see in person in the box.

Q: What are your thoughts on Yogi Berra’s passing.

A: He’s obviously a legend here in New York for both teams, and so to play on a team that he played for is a really, really cool thing, and how much he means to this city and to baseball as a whole. Even really, really distantly to be kind of connected to him is a pretty cool thing. It’s just a guy who gave a lot to the game. … You can only hope to have an impact on this game the way he did.

Q: Who are athletes in other sports you admire?

A: Russell Wilson. I’m a big Seahawks fan. I’m intrigued by Marshawn Lynch, he’s got an interesting view on media. The way he plays the game, he’s such a competitor, and he’s obviously got some antics on the field, so I’m really intrigued by him, big fan of his.

I was a huge fan of Peyton Manning growing up. I remember reading an article about nobody studies the game like he does, nobody puts in the preparation the way that he does. I also read an article about Russell Wilson preparing. The thing that I read about both of those guys was the preparation takes away the nerves a little bit — you feel prepared, you feel ready. I was a huge fan of Troy Polamalu, Kam Chancellor. I loved LaDainian Tomlinson.

Q: Did you like playing quarterback or safety better in high school?

A: It’s close. I liked playing quarterback being in a leadership role, kind of being in the center of the game, kind of controlling the game a little bit. On the other side, I liked playing safety ’cause there was a little bit more freedom, some plays where you’re in coverage, one man deep, you get to see everything happening, kind of read everything, then you can come up and make plays if they’re running the ball, so I liked to fly around and just kind of have that freedom being at free safety and hit people. I’d probably have to go defense.

Q: What did you think of Lynch not getting the ball at the end of the Super Bowl?

A: I have mixed feelings on it, and obviously it was devastating. I was in a bar in downtown Seattle when it happened, and everything leading up to it felt so much like it was destiny, and everyone in the bar was thinking the same thing: “Marshawn’s gonna get the ball and we’re gonna win the game.” And then seeing that happen, it was devastating, and everyone’s asking “Why would we do that? Dangerous throw.”

But I can see the thought process. I can see where exactly that, everyone in the bar knows Marshawn’s supposed to get the ball here, and them trying to go against what everyone thinks is gonna happen, try to surprise ’em. But I can’t agree with the play calling, I say you gotta give it to your guy, The Beast, so I have mixed emotions on it.

Q: You are living in a Manhattan hotel.

A: I’m getting tired of the hotel life (smile). There’s a lot going on, which is really cool. Before being drafted to the Mets, I’d never been to New York, so that was really exciting.

Q: Do you drive to the ballpark?

A: I usually get an Uber.

Q: Favorite New York City things?

A: Times Square was cool to go to. It’s kind of crowded and overwhelming a little bit, but I definitely needed to see it. I went to the Empire State Building, saw the view up there, that’s really really cool. Went to Ground Zero and the memorial there. The feelings you get there are powerful, and that was a really, really cool experience for me to go there. Seeing Central Park is pretty cool. It’s amazing how at night when you kind of come up to the edge and there’s all these buildings and then just kind of darkness where Central Park is.

Q: Who was the biggest influence on you?

A: My dad. He was my first coach. He was my football coach my entire football career. He knew the qualities of a good coach playing for Joe Paterno. He kept my focus on the right things. He was definitely hard on me, but even when I was young and I didn’t really understand it, he didn’t waver from being a father figure rather than a friend sometimes.

Q: How saddened was he by how it ended for Paterno?

A: I was at college, but I remember calling him. He was disgusted by what had happened there. It was unclear what Paterno’s involvement with it, but from what he told me, his experiences with Joe and his memories of him, they never wavered through any of that stuff. He knew the man he was, and what kind of a coach he was. It was tough for him to see Joe go out that way and his statue come down and then he passes away.

Q: Three dinner guests?

A: Babe Ruth, Jennifer Lawrence, Will Ferrell.

Q: Why Babe Ruth?

A: Arguably one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Kind of an idol when I was growing up. … Kids wanting to be big power hitters and hit home runs, and he was the original home run king, so I’d just like to talk to him. I wonder how different hitting was back then and what his advice would be in an earlier time. There’s so much information now, there’s so much analysis on hitting, I think it was so much more simple back then, and I think it would be really interesting to know what his thoughts were straight from his mouth.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: “Talladega Nights.”

Q: Favorite actor?

A: Will Ferrell.

Q: Favorite actress?

A: Jennifer Lawrence.

Q: Favorite singer/entertainer?

A: Ariana Grande.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: On Christmas Day, my grandma makes gnocchi, manicotti, meatballs, pepperoni, sausage, homemade sauce, garlic bread, and antipastos too.

Q: Hobbies?

A: Golf, fishing.

Q: Describe the prospect of playing in a World Series as a rookie.

A: You dream about it. You dream about playing in the World Series. I’ve watched the World Series my whole life.