In a report for MLB.com, team beat reporter Anthony DiComo described Mets 20-year-old SS prospect Wilmer Flores as being at a ‘career crossroads,’ having outgrown shortstop, getting bigger and entering his 20s.
“This may sound sort of backwards, but I think the bat’s going to end up dictating it,” Paul DePodesta ld DiComo of Flores. “Whatever happens to be available at the [big league level] when he’s ready, that could be where he ends up playing.”
Flores hit .269 with 9 HR and 81 RBI in 133 games for Single-A St. Lucie in 2011. This winter, he is batting .295 with a .378 OBP in the Venezuelan Winter League.
Matthew Cerrone: Yes, he’s only 20. But, we’ve seen before just how quickly a window can open and close on a prospect. There is still time for Wilmer, but he’s certainly in a strange spot. His offensive numbers are passable at shortstop, but his defense is weak and his build slows him down. The thing is, his power is too weak to justify him being at a corner. So, he’s sort of in this middle area… Also, short of his performance in Venezuela this winter, he hasn’t gotten better at drawing walks or cutting down on strike outs like people hoped. The buzz I’ve heard is that he needs to get more lift as well. Yes, he hits the ball hard, but he needs to start showing more gap and home run power, especially for his size. But,
again, he’s just 20 and scouts loved him a couple of years ago. He topped most Mets prospect lists one year ago. But, coupled with new pitching acquisitions and Wilmer’s slowed development, those same experts put him down lower on their lists this winter (and in some cases not on them at all). DiComo’s right, Wilmer is at a bit of crossroads and he’s going to be interesting to watch this year… hopefully, it all clicks and he finds a new path to the big leagues.
To read DiComo’s report, and hear more from DePodesta about Flores, click here.
