Welcome to the next installment of MMN’s Mid-Season Top 25 Prospects! We’re in the final stretch now…
4. Wilmer Flores, 2B/1B
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 190
Age: 21
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Contact: 50/65 Power: 50/60 Speed: 30/30 Field: 40/40 Arm: 50/50
In 2007 the Mets lured Wilmer Flores from Venezuela for a signing bonus of $750,000. He arrived in the U.S in 2008 and immediately drew comparisons to country-mate Miguel Cabrera.
Flash forward to 2013, and while Flores hasn’t had the meteoric rise to stardom that Cabrera had, he’s done nothing but hit at every level — despite often being the youngest player on his team or even in his league. Wilmer has played the entirety of the 2013 season in Triple-A Las Vegas, hitting .321/.357/.528 with 12 home runs in 93 games. He’s been even better of late, hitting .393 in the month of July.
On the scouting side, Flores boasts some intriguing skills. Wilmer is blessed with exceptional hand-eye coordination, allowing him to make great contact (13.4% K% in 2013) while using his good bat control to consistently find the barrel of the bat. His big frame also projects him to have plus power, something that looks to be beginning to find it’s way into his game. However, his approach could use some work, as he’s walked in just 5.2% of his plate appearances as a minor leaguer. Defense will always be the question with Flores, and potentially the thing that keeps him from reaching his ceiling as a player. The Mets have tried him all over the infield, settling on second base this year with some first base sprinkled in.
I think some of the luster has worn off of Flores amongst fans and prospect experts alike– and that’s really unfortunate. All this kid has done is hit at every level since being signed. It appears that opinions of him are dragged down by this idea that he should have been ready by now. New York fans don’t like to wait. Well, the wait may finally be up. Flores is flashing the exciting power potential that had scouts drooling over him back in 2007. We already know he can hit. As for his defense — well, if he hits like I expect him to, it won’t matter. His bat may play anywhere on the field, even at first base.
MMN Mid-Season Top 25 Prospects Series
The traditional scouting scale, which ranks players on a scale of 20-80 (abbreviated at times without the zero), can summarize how we feel about a player in an easy to understand format. Now, for those of you unfamiliar with the scale, you’ll see two numbers — something like 30/60, which isn’t a fraction, but rather a representation of their present status and their potential. The number on the left represents their current standing, while the number on the right shows what they could become. For a further explanation on what the numbers mean, I strongly encourage you to check out these links (Scouting for Batters and Scouting for Pitchers) which I will leave on each post going ahead in this series. With that being said, I really hope you enjoy our work going ahead, and any and all questions and comments are appreciated.
Previous Posts
No. 5: Cesar Puello
Nos. 11 – 15: Kevin Plawecki to Domingo Tapia
Get him up after the trade deadline. Time for him to see some big league action. I know, its been said by a million people a million times. Its just time.
Flores is the prospect im most excited to see….But I have a feeling the Mets wont make any moves at the deadline and instead Sandy will sit on his hands then call him up in september for a cup of coffee