MM's Top 25- #3 IF Wilmer Flores

#3 IF Wilmer Flores (LR: #3)
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6' 3" Weight: 190 lb
Age: 22
Acquired: 2007 International Signing, Venezeula

2013: (MLB) .211/.248/.295, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 0 SB, 5 BB, 23 K
2013: (AAA) .321/.357/.531, 15 HR, 86 RBI, 1 SB (25%), 25 BB, 63 K
2012: (A+/AA) .300/.349/.479, 18 HR, 75 RBI, 3 SB (60%), 38 BB, 60 K
2011: (A+) .269/.309/.380, 9 HR, 81 RBI, 2 SB (50%), 27 BB, 68 K
2010: (A/A+) .289/.333/.424, 11 HR, 84 RBI, 4 SB (44%), 32 BB, 77 K
2009: (A) .264/.305/.332, 3 HR, 36 RBI, 3 SB (50%), 22 BB, 72 K

Flores has been with the Mets organization for what seems like forever. This will be his 7th season with the club and yet he is still only 22 years old. Throughout his entire career there has never been any doubt that he can hit. You can usually find Flores at the tops of the RBI Leaders list each year. He doesn't strike out, he puts the ball in play, and he's also expected to add more power once he fills out his 6' 3" frame with another 10-15 pounds of muscle. Flores could very well become a 20-25 HR, 100 RBI threat that the organization has so desperately needed over the past few years.

Unfortunately Flores still does not have a positional home on the diamond. His most natural position is 3B but with Captain Wright currently manning the hot corner, Flores has to find a new spot. Organizational needs would place him at SS, the position he started career at, but, even though he showed off an above average arm and soft hands, his tall frame made it difficult to have smooth motions and he committed 80 errors over the course of 3 1/2 minor league seasons. In 2012 the club then moved him back to his natural position but began spotting him at 2B in another attempt to convert him into a position of need. While his play was uninspiring, he showed that he possibly could handle 2B as he only committed 1 error in his 27 games there. 

The organization finally moved him there full time this season and he's been a below average defender, but holding his own to a point where his bat can make up the deficiencies. Unfortunately, now Daniel Murphy has improved enough defensively to entrench himself into the spot for the near future. The next stop for Flores now is to either become more athletic to give SS another try or learn another new position in 1B. While 1B seems more possible than SS, the recently drafted Dominic Smith looks to have the ability to move quickly through the system making Flores's possible time at 1B limited.

Anticipated Assignment: (AAA) Las Vegas roving starter at 1B/2B/SS/3B
Ceiling: Solid MLB starter somewhere as a #2 hitter.
Floor: Solid MLB 3B on another team.