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| Give Wilmer Flores a shot to be on the Opening Day roster! |
“Wilmer Flores, the Shortstop?”
I know we all remember last season when
Third Baseman Wilmer Flores got that famous call-up to the majors and
did his thing. He hit well, was very good defensively, and overall
started to prove his worth to the New York Mets direct from the
minors. It's not easy filling in for David Wright as he was out due
to injury he handled it well. Obviously once Wright came back, Flores
went from starter to back-up and understandingly so. With Wright
being the long-term answer at third base, only really to injury or
fatigue would we ever see Flores again holding it down. Now, as we
all know, the Mets continue to have a glaring question mark when it
comes to who will be shortstop come Opening Day. Will be it Ruben
Tejada? Omar Quintanilla? Stephen Drew? What if I told you, there is
a possibility it could be Flores? Let me explain.
Flores's natural position actually is
shortstop, it was the one he started out with once he came to the
minor league system of the Mets. It wasn't until after some ongoing
scouting, reports, and analysis, he was switched by team officials to
play third base. The big reason they changed his position was mainly
due to his lack of speed and mobility. Since Spring Training will be
upon us soon, he might be given some reps at shortstop according to
General Manager Sandy Alderson. This of course depends on how well he
does in the special winter conditioning program he was placed on this
offseason. One thing I love about Flores is his work attitude and
ethic, the kid just wants to contribute as much as he can to his
team. That's why he has willingly agreed to conditioning programs and
a new regimen to overall improve his speed this offseason.
Personally I don't really want another
season where our starting shortstop is Ruben Tejada. Nothing against
the guy but he's always been inconsistent. Last season he was pretty
bad, so much so the Mets demoted him to Las Vegas and rightfully so.
Quintanilla was a band-aid to be honest on the position since he was
slightly better than Tejada and provided utility and depth to the
infield. However, while he played ok, he doesn't seem to be the
long-term answer. The Mets truly haven't been able to upgrade at the
position in free agency either. With every passing day, it's more
unlikely they will land the guy we all want, Stephen Drew, to a deal.
He would be great to have on the team but I think the Wilpons have
closed their wallets for good this season.
That's why I think giving Flores a real
and fair opportunity to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster
would be incredible motivation. His hitting, defensive skills, and
hopefully improved speed will be exactly what the Mets need this
upcoming season at shortstop if you think about it. I don't see the
harm in seeing what he could bring to the table and it would be a
refreshing move to go in that direction. A lot of people don't want
to see Flores in the minors since he played pretty well last year. Us
New Yorkers always want more, not less. I'd hate to see him go back
to playing in the minors this upcoming season since he got a glimpse
at what the limelight is all about in the majors. Granted, some time
improving his skills in the minors could continue his progression but
honestly, I think he's ready to stay where the big boys play.
Of course whichever direction the Mets
will ultimately choose at shortstop I'll support but I hope they give
Flores a look. I think he can do it and right now, it just makes the
most sense to at least give him a shot to start this season. I'm sure
in a competition, he can beat out both Tejada/Quintanilla and
hopefully be the long-term answer at shortstop. This kid needs to be
out there in the majors making sure he gives the Mets every ounce of
athleticism in his soul to make this team become winners again.
2 comments:
I cant think of one scout who ever thought he could play SS in the majors. They are not always right, but it is very rare that they are all wrong. it is questionable if he can play 2B, he would likely look like Duda did in the outfield last year.
Scouts may be right, but they'd want to see him at SS in spring anyway, as one of his utility roles, if he sticks as a several-position back up guy.
While he may instead go to Vegas and learn 1B, give him some games at SS so he can show how average (or bad) he is there defensively with a more refined physique.
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