Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
When Wilmer Flores was chosen as the starting shortstop of 2015, the New York Mets knew exactly what type of player he was: one who could give you offensive production, while simultaneously giving you sub-par play in the field. Nearly a quarter of the way through the season, he’s fit the script perfectly.
Although his .250 average isn’t quite what the Mets would like, he does lead the team with six home runs. In fact, he’s the only shortstop to be leading his team in home runs. It says something about the Mets’ offensive production, yes, but it also shows that Flores is no slouch at the plate. In less than half of the at-bats he had last season, he’s already matched his home run total. If he continues at this pace, 20 home runs by the end of the season is more than probable — it’s likely.
Despite the six long balls, he does only have 15 RBIs. And while that number doesn’t really show middle-of-the-order potential, it is worth noting that he’s tied for second on the team in RBIs. So really, for the Mets, that number might do. In addition to his 15 runs driven in, he’s scored 17 times, good for fourth on the team. And his slugging percentage, .454, is third-best on the team, and best on the team of players who have played in at least half of the games for the Mets. So although his overall production isn’t phenomenal, compared to the remainder of the lineup he’s more than pulling his weight.
Where he isn’t quite having as much success is in the field. Already this season he has nine errors at shortstop. Somehow, he’s tied for only second in all of baseball with that number. His .932 fielding percentage ranks 27th of 28 qualifying shortstops.
It seems that his hitting and fielding are correlated, however. When Flores is swinging the bat well, he seems more relaxed in the field. When he’s cold at the plate, the errors begin to rack up. The good and the bad. The Mets can’t say they didn’t expect it. But he’s the shortstop they chose to enter the season with, and he seems to have a pretty long leash there, given there really aren’t any other suitable options on the team.
Whether or not the Mets trade for a shortstop — perhaps with the Chicago Cubs — remains to be seen. You have to believe, though, that as long as Flores keeps producing at the plate, the Mets are willing to sacrifice his defense on a team starved of good hitting. If he can somehow figure it out a bit in the field, he may have a long-term role on the team. The good news is that he’s still 23 years old and has plenty of time to improve.
Matt Turner is a New York Mets Writer for www.RantSports.com. “Like” him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @MTurnerNY, or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google.
