Jon Morosi of FOX Sports posted an interesting stat today on Twitter about Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores: He is apparently one of only five players in the major leagues age 23 or younger with ten or more home runs this season. The others? Joc Pederson, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Mike Trout.
Clearly, that is some elite company, and it’s also a testament to Flores’ blossoming this year. No, he isn’t the five-win player that Troy Tulowitzki is, but he is giving the Mets above-average production for his position in one where they have struggled to find anything close to average since Jose Reyes‘ departure.
Flores’ 96 wRC+ is ninth among MLB shortstops and ironically, he is tenth in defense, according to Fangraphs. Take that 96 wRC+ and compare it to league average for the position, which is 80. Flores is still probably a very slightly below average hitter in terms of the overall league, but for his position, he is very good. In fact, he is also tied for the MLB shortstop lead with ten home runs. In terms of overall power, using ISO (Isolated Slugging Percentage), Flores is fifth among shortstops.
Good teams are as much built on getting this type of production out of the unheralded offensive positions as they are getting it out of high-paid stars in corner infield and outfield spots. Having someone like Flores playing at shortstop is a real asset, even if he isn’t a star.
Interestingly, Flores has also been relied on as arguably the team’s second-biggest run producer behind Lucas Duda. Recently, while the Mets have probably been giving him a lot of chances, he has also come through in big spots, helping keep the thin offense afloat. RBI is generally not a great stat but get this: Flores has 17 RBI in his last 22 games, eighth-most in the majors over that span.
Flores still has a long way before he can be considered in the same category as a Tulowitzki or Johnny Peralta, but he is certainly proving wrong many of his doubters.
