New York Mets Transitioning Prospect Wilmer Flores Off of Shortstop
By now a lot of New York Mets fans are familiar with infield prospect Wilmer Flores. Ranked No. 2 in 2011, Wilmer Flores will probably fall a couple of pegs due – at least partially – to the emergence of Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Jeurys Familia. Even though some improved offensive numbers might be the biggest hope for the 20 year old infielder in 2012, a more immediate concern might be how well he makes the transition from shortstop to third base. It’s not only the fact that he’s listed at 6’3″ 175 (there have been a number of tall shortstops to play the game and play it at a high level), but it’s the fact that he doesn’t have the quickness and range to excel at the position at the Major League level. His hands and arm strength should work well at third base though and even though his range will continue to diminish as he continues to grow into his frame, it won’t be as much of a detriment at the hot corner.
As I mentioned, Flores’ offensive production remains a more pressing concern at this point. Not that there is any particular hurry, but it would just be nice to see some explicit tangible evidence of the immense talent that he possesses. Scouting reports continue to provide glowing assessments of his raw ability – particularly his bat speed and his ability to barrel balls. He’s even garnered comparisons to Miguel Cabrera. Obviously that is reckless territory to enter when you’re discussing an 17-18 year old (the comparison came from Baseball America’s 2009 Prospect Handbook) but it still gives you an idea of the type of raw tools Flores has in his shed.
Flores put up an encouraging performance in the Venezuelan Winter League posting a .301/.382/.391 line while getting more exposure to third base. It would be nice to see the slugging take a big step forward, but we can’t ignore the +81 OBP he posted. Fully tapping into one’s power potential is dependent on him learning how to handle the strike zone and even though Flores’ “career high” OBP was achieved during 41 games and 133 at-bats in winter league ball, I’m still encouraged. 2012 will be an interesting year as Flores figures to get his first taste of Double-A at some point. Things might not be going too great in Queens, but Wilmer Flores is one of a handful of prospects currently on the farm and a player who could eventually bring a few more wins to the New York Mets.
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