16
2012
Wilmer Flores Being Phased Out At Shortstop
An article by Hojo's Mojo
Anthony DiComo of Mets.com, posted a cool article on the future of shortstop for the Mets and dishes out some interesting info on Ruben Tejada as well as prospect Wilmer Flores whose shift from shortstop has already begun.
Two or three years ago, there was a notion around baseball that, perhaps, Wilmer Flores, a middle infielder by nature, would be ready to crack the big leagues by 2012. That hope dissolved when Flores, still just 20 years old, began developing slower than expected.
Recently (and hardly unexpectedly), the concept that Flores might ever be the long-term solution at shortstop has disappeared, as well.
To that end, the Mets allowed Flores to play almost exclusively at third base during Winter Ball in Venezuela, where he batted .301 with a .382 on-base percentage. It was the first tangible positive in some time for Flores, who posted on-base marks of .309 and .324 during extended runs at Class A St. Lucie in 2010 and 2011.
Now, Flores finds himself at something of a career crossroads. Either the Mets send him back to St. Lucie, where he will no longer be notably young for the level, or they promote him to Double-A Binghamton on the basis of nothing more than projection.
For years now, scouts have insisted that Flores possesses all the proper tools to become an offensive star. The statistics, they have said, will come in time. Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen. But Flores has already proven one thing: that shortstop is not likely his long-term position.
Flores will have to have a very strong showing in 2012 to keep his status as a top prospect.
The Mets can ill-afford another slide like F-Mart went through, going from the organization’s top hitting prospect to being placed on irrevocable waivers last week.
Flores has already slipped from #1 prospect to somewhere between #5-10 depending on who you ask.
About the Author: Rob Johnson
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About time…this kid is a 3rd baseman.
It sure took them long enough!
good idea to get him to his LT home now. That way if the bat takes off and he moves quick, he might have a position to play.
But, hard to really say that a 20 YO could already be at a crossroads.
See what happens out of ST, but hopefully he starts at St. Lucie again to show that he has mastered the level, then move him to Bingo.
It is already a different situation than F Mart. He was at AA by the age F MArt was last year, wasn’t he? In any case, it is already a good sign that Flores repeated AA sinve he hadn’t earned his way to a promotion.
If they are indeed moving him to 3B, I hope he starts to show some HR pop this year. There’s not much call for a third baseman who doesn’t have any power. Maybe 2B would be the wiser move? Just sayin…..
If he is outgrowing SS and footspeed/quickness is the issue, not sure that he is going to be any better suited to 2B.
anyway, he is a big kid, and with the quick bat, etc. you would think that some HR power would eventually join the party.
Are we possibly looking at another Murphy? A kid with a good bat and not much ability to stick defensively at any position?
I don’t think so, from having read reports on him. It always sounded like he was a good defensive guy (glove/arm/smarts), just that he was not going to have the speed/range to stick at SS.
But moving to 3rd could work out well.
Hojo, Flores will be 21 in August. How’s that ‘pushing it’ for high A? Not your words, but you seemed to imply that. He hasn’t ‘broken out’ yet offensively, which is the larger concern at this point, rather than his ultimate position at the MLB level. He ain’t getting to the major’s unless he breaks out.
Funny, because i’ve always liked Jefry Marte’s (sp?) bat a bit better than Wilmer’s.
If he’s only 20, then we should explore whether he has the tools to play catcher. From what I’ve read, he has soft hands, but his feet are slow. Sounds like a catcher to me. It will give him something to sink his teeth into and probably light a fire under his lackadaisical @ss.
It’s not too late. I wish we had done the same for Daniel Murphy 5 years ago.
Like Martinez Flores ws the best in a terrible farm system. Like F Mart he was always the youngest in his league which was the reason for his hype rather than his performance on the field. Like F Mart he was playing an elite position and he proved he couldn’t play it. Like Martinez Flores doesn’t have the power necessary to play a corner position. He’ll be gone, probably more sooner than later.
I think signing 16 year olds is just dumb.
One of the problems the Latin scouts have is that many Latin players’ ages are suspect. Before the Angels would sign the Pujols contract they made him verify his age. There are stories that man y of them change their names to hid their identities because they can’t get a visa under their real name. Yes the kid could be 16 or then again 18 or 15 or whatever. Remember the Little League scandal when the Latin American pitcher was too old and they had to forfeit the championship.
Lou – You mean “Dan ‘The Man’ Almonte”…
Was’t he pitching for a NY team??
Remember when Wilmer was being called a young Miguel Cabrera?? I was at the Hall of Fame the last couple of days and saw a picture that stopped me dead in my tracks – 20 year old Miguel Cabrera celebrating after helping lead the Marlins to a World Series. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that the kid is 20. I don’t see the rush to Binghamton. Let him start and hopefully build confidence at St. Lucie, maybe even show pop, and then earn his call-up to Binghamton. I give the kid two more years of development at the least because if he’s fighting for a job 2014, he will still be 22.
Time is on our side.
Hank – sensible post. I think we should use a portion of the next 2 years to see if he can don the tools of ignorance. Toughen him up – might be the best thing for him.
Guys like F-Mart & Flores – if they are capable of playing catcher, then they won’t place too much pressure on themselves as hitters and likely be better off for it. Think “Jorge Posada”, always in Piazza’s shadow, but always an important cog in a great team offense.
I’m hearing and reading a lot of people who want to see the kid move to Catcher. I don’t think I’m opposed to the idea. However, let’s see how he does at 3B. I think part of the reason there’s no rush to move him to Catcher is because a lot of baseball people still believe Catchers are born and not developed. I don’t agree with that. But let’s see how he does at 3B. if no pop comes, then we can start training him to be a Catcher.
Tommy2cat —
Try Flores behind the plate? Yes.
Try (after the fact) F-Mart behind the plate? No. His legs won’t be able to deal with all the stress on his legs. In fact, I’d bet that Henry Blanco, who will be 41 in August, would be able to play more games than F-Mart. Too bad because the kid had great promise.