Wilmer FloresIt feels like Wilmer Flores has been a Met forever. He was signed seven years ago at the age of 16 and has been much ballyhooed as the Mets best offensive prospect. He has been ranked as a top 100 prospect in all of baseball on multiple occasions and famously destroyed Triple-A over the last two seasons (162 games, 28 home runs, 143 RBI and a 903 OPS).

His major league career has amounted to only 288 plate appearances, which haven’t been nearly as impressive. Flores has posted a poor 573 OPS during that time and has made fans wonder if he’s just one more failed big name prospect.

The Mets made the decision to see which Flores was real by making him the starting shortstop in August. Over those 28 games, Flores has posted a .261 AVG and a 642 OPS, marginally better numbers than his career so far, but nowhere near his minor league potential. However, he’s started to perk up recently. Over his last 11 games, Flores has hit .294 with a 745 OPS. Although that isn’t the player the Mets saw in Triple-A, that is a player who, if he continued to post such numbers, could be an everyday big leaguer. On top of that, the player who was once thought to be too big for shortstop, has held his own at that position. His range is below average at the position, but his fielding percentage is above average and he’s shown some ability to use his length to make some nice plays in the field. In fact, over the course of his major league career, Flores has now shown himself to be at least playable at three different positions, shortstop, second base and third base, making the player that most categorized as being “without a position”, much more valuable to a major league team.

So what does all of this and Flores’ next 20 games or so, mean to the Mets?

There are several answers to that question. The first is that if Flores is successful, then the Mets have finally broken through with a home grown offensive prospect. The Mets farm system is currently considered one of the top ten in Baseball, but all of the talk about the system is its pitchers, from which they’ve seen multiple success stories over the past several years. Yet, no home grown offensive player has made a meaningful impact on the team since David Wright and Jose Reyes debuted. Players like Travis d’Arnaud and Dilson Herrera have only played in the major leagues as Mets, but they also were acquired via trades with other teams and were not home grown. One could argue that Jay Payton was a solid player, but this team has been generally bereft of impactful offensive players for many years. If Flores can be an everyday player even in the Payton level of success, then the team has proven that it can produce an offensive prospect.

The Mets commitment to Flores also means that the Mets have made a decision about Ruben Tejada. This was further solidified by Herrera’s promotion when Daniel Murphy went on the disabled list. The Mets could have easily put Flores at second base and had Tejada take over as the starting shortstop, but they didn’t do that. This seems to mean that the Mets are looking hard at whether Flores can be the everyday shortstop, and if he can’t, they’ll pursue one in the offseason.

Flores could also spell the end of Eric Young Jr. as a Met. Young Jr. could also, very easily, have been given more at bats when Murphy was injured and Chris Young was released, but he wasn’t and has barely seen time in the field. With the upcoming 40 man roster crunch, this would have been the time to evaluate Young Jr.’s role on the team, which hasn’t happened. Flores’ ability to play second base and Eric Campbell’s success in left field and off the bench has basically limited Young Jr. to being a pinch runner, which for an offensively challenged baseball team that will more than likely rely on platoon’s in as many as two positions next year (first base and left field) is a luxury they cannot afford.

Success with the bat by Flores could also help the team make a decision about trading Murphy. If Flores hits well down the stretch, but is just not good enough to play shortstop, he could easily be moved to second base. Even if Herrera destroys the baseball in September, he should start next year at Triple-A for more seasoning, with the idea that he could be promoted mid-season. If Herrera slumps and shows he’s not ready, and Flores hits, then the Mets could put Flores at second base and look to move Murphy in the offseason to further improve the roster and not lose ground offensively.

In the end, it will be interesting to see if Flores can build on his last 11 games or is really the player he’s shown throughout the start to his early major league career. Success by Flores will be a huge bonus for this team as he could then be one more piece they can work to build a contending team around, especially when one considers the Mets’ offensive struggles.

Flores has been one of the names all Mets fans have heard about for many years. Let’s all hope that the month of September is the beginning of Flores’ name being a key part of the major league roster for years to come and not lead to him being the next Fernando Martinez.

7 comments on “The meaning of Wilmer Flores

  • Joe Gomes

    If the Imbecile only batted Flores at a better spot instead of 8th, he would have shown more already. He went 3-4 batting on the 6th slot only to be rewarded with the 8th slot the next day.

  • Reese Kaplan

    You’re too kind, Joe.

    You forget that after going 8 for his last 19, the imbecile-in-charge decided to bench the guy on a .421 hot streak in favor of the .221 hitting Tejada.

    If it was an isolated incident, maybe there would be some kind of justification, but it’s a consistent pattern of setting up players to fail and doing whatever is in your power to cool them off when they’re hot.

    Editor’s Note – Please do not capitalize words in your post, as that is a violation of our Comment Policy.

  • Metsense

    The Mets need to upgrade at SS and LF in the off season if they intend to compete for a playoff spot in 2015. The fact that Wright and Granderson’s production is not reliable emphasizes the need for these upgrades. The better the upgrade the better the odds of contending. Flores is not the answer for 2015 at shortstop. He has not produced and has been given the chance. Flores may end up the utility infielder next year or back at AAA. Injuries occur, he may get another chance, but if the Mets are serious about a playoff spot in 2015 they will set their sites on a player better than Flores.

    Reese, since he is playing, then he should never have been sat. It is another reason why Collins should be replaced as he seems to sit the hot players and march out the veteran under performers.

    • Chris F

      Well stated Metsense. Flores is not a SS on a post season club unless he turns into A-rod at the plate. His defense, in a pitching centric team, simply fails to meet the level needed to support. He would need to offset the lost runs with extraordinary offense…not passable offense.

      However, the words from SA yesterday tell us the financial crisis is still in full force. He does not appear to be interested in a FA pickup at either LF or SS. So Adam Rubin poses will 2015 be like 2014? And here in early September, that already seems to be the likely case.

      • Jerry Grote

        To be specific, Wilmer is reaching a little less than one ball every two games fewer than the league average SS (3.89 range factor versus 4.29).

        Since August 1 he’s played reasonably well, producing nearly a 690 OPS. But realize that over the 26 games he’s started in the infield, he would have needed roughly 12 additional singles to make up for the balls he let through.

        Some perspective? He has 25 hits in that time frame, providing a .266 BA. It’s simplistic and probably wrong, but to me it indicates he needs increase his BA by nearly 50% (12/25) and lift his overall average to .390, in order to be league average.

        Love the kid, and I think he has the ability to be a great hitter. I question if Davey Johnson would let the kid play SS, and he had Kevin Mitchell standing out there.

  • NCMetFan

    You left out our young centerfielder. He qualifies as an impact position player as far as I am concerned. I also think denDecker and Kirk N. could demonstrate there usefulness. It is fair to say the Mets farm say not produced a high end everyday, boarder line all star but too negative to say no player.

    • Chris F

      Indeed. Lagares has made a big impact, and will continue to do so.

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