Flores Brings His Bat to the Majors
The Light-Hitting Mets Need All the Help They Can Get
Wilmer Flores joined the Mets for Friday’s series opener against Philadelphia. AP
After the Mets were swept by the Marlins this week in a three-game series in which they scored just three runs, the organization felt it had to act. But where to begin with a team hitting a combined .225?
The decision was shortstop, where starter Ruben Tejada is batting .183. So the Mets summoned hot-hitting infield prospect Wilmer Flores to join the big club for Friday night’s series opener against the Phillies.
“Last week I talked to [Triple-A manager Wally Backman] in Vegas,” manager Terry Collins said, “and he said, ‘If you’re going to call him, now’s the time. He’s red hot.’ And that’s the time we like to call a guy up.”
Flores, 22, has always hit since the Mets signed him out of Venezuela. At the time of his promotion, he was 11 for his last 22 with four home runs; on the season, he was hitting .307 with an .860 on-base-plus-slugging percentage and five homers in 29 games. Last season he played 27 big-league games for the Mets, tying a franchise record with 11 RBIs in his first 11 games. But an ankle injury hampered his production thereafter and he ultimately batted just .211 in 95 at-bats. (He was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in one big-league game this season, on April 2.)
“We have always valued his bat, and his ability to consistently square up the baseball stood out when he was an amateur and has continued as he has progressed,” Mets director of baseball operations Adam Fisher wrote in an email. “He opened eyes right away in his first spring training after we signed him.”
Promoting Flores to jolt a lagging offense would have been a no-brainer were it not for doubts about his defensive ability. Flores began as shortstop, was relegated to other infield positions, and returned to short this spring.
“I felt great,” he said about the return. “It’s not a new position. I tried to just relax and try to play like I’ve played before.”
The best thing that could be said about his range is that, well, he’s a good hitter. But the Mets believe his defensive skills have improved following a rigorous off-season at a conditioning academy in Michigan.
“We thought his first-step quickness has improved,” Collins said. “We always knew he had the arm. He’s always had good hands. We looked at our shortstop situation and said, ‘What do we have to lose?'”
Not much. Such is the sad state of shortstop since Jose Reyes left in free agency before the 2012 season. Tejada and his backup, Omar Quintanilla, who was designated for assignment to make room for Flores, have been among the league’s least productive pairings. The two have combined for a .517 OPS, which ranks 29th in the majors, and have contributed just three extra-base hits all year, tied with the Tigers for the league’s fewest.
Baseball Prospectus’s preseason scouting report on Flores included the phrases “good feel for hitting,” “power likely to play solid-average to plus,” and “arm is left-side strong; soft hands; fluid actions; good footwork around the bag at second.” But it also noted that his “range isn’t sufficient for shortstop.” Projecting Flores as a second baseman, Baseball Prospectus re-entered him in its Top 100 prospect list at No. 71 after a two-year absence.
“Don’t mistake it, we’re hoping Wilmer gives us some offense, but he’s got to catch the baseball too,” Collins said. “We’re not a big strikeout pitching staff, so the importance of being able to play defense is very big.”
Defense is local, though, in terms of home ballpark and pitching staff tendencies, which is why the demands on Flores won’t be as intense as on other shortstops. Fewer strikeouts means more balls in play, but Mets pitchers tend to induce fly balls, reducing the chances for the infielders. The staff has a ground-ball rate of 57.4%, according to Stats LLC, which is the second-lowest in the majors.
There has also been an exponential increase in available information to aid in the placement of defenders, and the Mets’ front office has been more inclined than most to use it. So Flores is going to have help with his positioning.
Flores said he understands that Friday night was the start of a test, and expressed confidence that he can handle the job.
“I’m going to prove it,” he said.
SD Yankee Report 