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.
