The Unsucking of Wilmer Flores

[Edgy MD]

Frayed Knot wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: Edgy MD wrote: But more than that, I'm asking Terry stop living in fear and put Tejada at short and Flores at third. I know, right? Why don't they take this one step further and put Duda in center and Lagares at first? I think the obvious answer is that as long as they view Wright's absence from the lineup as temporary they're unwilling to "yo-yo" young Wilmer back and forth from the position he's trying to learn.

And I call it Living. In. Fear.

I suspect it is not so much any effect of yo-yoing they fear. It's that if things go south for Wilmer, Terry fears that critics will link the yo-yo-ing to any failures offensive or defensive, no matter whether the link is cause-and-effect or coincidental. And that's no way to go through life.

[Ceetar]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I get that they're saying FLORES IS THE SHORTSTOP but what's curious I guess is Tejada at 3B and Muffy at 2B And we wonder why GB machine Jon Niese has had a few spotty starts? He's not really a GB machine is he? He has absorbed his unfair share of Flores booboos, though. I think half of Flores's erros have come while Niese is pitching but I wouldn't say it's because he's gotten chances in the same ratio. Niese to me looks like a line-drive-into-the-gap specialist these days.

he's 16th on the GB% leaderboard

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=pit≶=all&qual=y&type=8&season=2015&month=0&season1=2015&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=14,d

It's not really just about Flores' errant throws either, just general positioning and balls missed and DP not turned and all that. It's also extremely hard to quantify in this small a sample (especially if you want to just look at the last 4 Niese starts) but it's hard to see how all the guys out of position or just not that good defensively would be helpful for someone with so many balls in play.

But yes, Niese' K/9 is down too, and his velocity, which means more balls in play in addition to a large percent of them being on teh ground.

[Frayed Knot]

Just a snapshot in time comparison thru 60-some games of the season (not including any stats tonight)

Wilmer Flores: 228 PA; .248/.283/.425; 10 HRs; 31 RBI; 10 Errors
Ian Desmond: 270 PA; .222/.266/.349; 5 HRs; 17 RBI; 14 Errors

Flores turns 24 in August and under team control for this season and four more.
Desmond, 30 in September, can be a FA after 2016

[Edgy MD]

The Mets passing on trading Syndergaard for Desmond: Perhaps the greatest of the Fake Scandals of the 2014�2015 Offseason.

[Guest themetfairy]

I'm gonna make you love me!

[Frayed Knot]

Another comparison:

Derek Jeter (career): AB = 11,195 HRs = 260; AB w/Bases Loaded = 262; HRs w/Bases Loaded = 1
Wilmer Flores (career): AB = 568; HRs = 17; AB w/Bases Loaded = 24; HRs w/Bases Loaded = 2


I know this comparison says nothing of import whatsoever, but I just enjoy pointing it out.

[nymr83]

Frayed Knot wrote: Another comparison: Derek Jeter (career): AB = 11,195 HRs = 260; AB w/Bases Loaded = 262; HRs w/Bases Loaded = 1 Wilmer Flores (career): AB = 568; HRs = 17; AB w/Bases Loaded = 24; HRs w/Bases Loaded = 2 I know this comparison says nothing of import whatsoever, but I just enjoy pointing it out.

WHO IS MORE CLUTCH???

[Zvon]

Frayed Knot wrote: Just a snapshot in time comparison thru 60-some games of the season (not including any stats tonight) Wilmer Flores: 228 PA; .248/.283/.425; 10 HRs; 31 RBI; 10 Errors Ian Desmond: 270 PA; .222/.266/.349; 5 HRs; 17 RBI; 14 Errors Flores turns 24 in August and under team control for this season and four more. Desmond, 30 in September, can be a FA after 2016

The 31 RBI is what impresses me the most. He's not a one trick pony. He's not a fantastic hitter but he will poke it in an RBI situation. Even though he's even at 10/10, my judgement of him at this point is on the positive side. He will drive in runs. He will make errors. So far his O outweighs his errors in my mind, but it's awfully close. I see him breaking away if he can hit a dozen more and drive in 80.

[Frayed Knot]

You know what I was noticing about Flores tonight, that while his feet aren't all that quick, they're also not clumsy.
In his own way he's smooth like you'd want in a SS, just in slightly slow motion.

[Ceetar]

Frayed Knot wrote: You know what I was noticing about Flores tonight, that while his feet aren't all that quick, they're also not clumsy. In his own way he's smooth like you'd want in a SS, just in slightly slow motion.

He feels like a robot when I watch him, but he has mostly made the plays lately.