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Wilmer FloresMets' 16-year-old Shortstop Is New York's Next Top ProspectWilmer Flores is only 28 games into his professional baseball career, but he is already turning heads.
Wilmer Flores, the 16-year-old phenom, is taking the Appalachian League by storm. The Mets’ newest international prospect is doing it all for the Kingsport Mets. Through 28 games, Flores is batting .342, with six home runs and 23 RBI. The average age of players in the Appalachian League is about 20—making Flores’ hot start even more impressive. Although he has been playing professional baseball for just over a month, the shortstop is garnering attention both inside and outside of the Mets organization. Flores won the Appalachian League Player of the Week award for the week ending June 29th. He was also on Baseball America’s Prospect Hot Sheet on June 27th. Flores has a big frame—he is listed at 6’3 175 lbs. With that type of size, some are suggesting that the Venezuelan may be better off as a corner infielder in the long run, and some scouts believe he projects as a third baseman, but it is too early to tell whether or not Flores’ body will keep him from being a middle infielder in the future. Scouts rave about his tools—especially his power potential. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus commented that Flores has “potential for plus-plus raw power.” If Flores has proven anything in the short time he has been with the Mets organization, it’s that he is an advanced hitter for his age, and that the sky is the limit. Flores has slugged .602 throughout his first 112 at bats this season. He is showing tremendous power for somebody his age. To put Flores’ numbers at Kingsport into perspective, just look at Mets' third baseman David Wright’s 2001 campaign in the Appalachian League. Wright, who was 18 at the time, socked four home runs and drove in 17 runs over 36 games. His slugging percentage was .458. Jose Reyes played for Kingsport at age 17. Although a much different offensive player than Flores projects to be, Reyes only managed to hit .250 in 49 games—a testament to how mature Flores is as a hitter. So far, it looks like Flores may have been a real steal for the Mets. GM Omar Minaya gave him a $700,000 signing bonus when he turned 16 last August—and he might have been the top international prospect last season. This year, the top prospect was Dominican pitcher Michel Inoa, who was signed by the Oakland A’s for $4.25 million. There is no telling how good Flores can be. Any baseball fan will tell you there are no true "can't-miss" prospects, but the young shortstop is off to as good a start as any prospect the Mets have had. For information on other Mets prospects, read The 2008 Binghamton Mets.
The copyright of the article Wilmer Flores in Minor League Baseball is owned by Peter Spiewak. Permission to republish Wilmer Flores in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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