Wilmer Flores

Lore & Background

Flores was born on August 6, 1991, in Valencia, Venezuela, to Soledy García and Wilmer Flores. He has three brothers and two sisters. His family nicknamed him "Catire" due to his blonde hair as a baby. Growing up in Valencia, Venezuela, Flores first picked up a bat at age 6 and taught himself how to swing. After he turned 13, an agent, impressed with his power, steered him toward the nearby Agua Linda Academy, where he received formal instruction for the first time. He has one brother also named Wilmer Flores, who is a pitcher in the Detroit Tigers organization.

Reader's Guide

Flores signed as an international free agent with the New York Mets on August 6, 2007, his 16th birthday. With his $750,000 signing bonus, he bought his mother a new Hyundai Sonata he did not know how to drive. He was rated in the top 100 prospects by Baseball America prior to the 2009 (#47), 2010 (#88), and 2011 (#59) seasons. Flores started at second base for the World team at the 2009 All-Star Futures Game.

He also was named to the Baseball America Rookie All-Star Team (2008), the APP Postseason All-Star Team (2008), the MiLB.com Organization All-Star Team (2010), and the South Atlantic League All-Star Team (2010). In 2011, the Mets sent Flores back to the St. Lucie Mets of the High–A Florida State League (FSL) to convert him from a shortstop into a third baseman. In 2012, Flores was selected at third base for the FSL All-Star Game. He went 3-for-4 with a run scored and three runs batted in, earning Most Valuable Player honors.

He also appeared in the All-Star Futures Game for the second time in his career. The Mets promoted Flores to the Binghamton Mets of the Double–A Eastern League during the 2012 season. He finished the 2012 season with Binghamton batting .311/.361/.494 in 66 games with eight home runs, 33 RBI, and 20 walks. Flores began the 2013 season with the Las Vegas 51s of the Triple–A Pacific Coast League.

He finished batting .321/.357/.531 in 107 games with 15 home runs, 86 RBI, and 25 walks. He obtained a promotion to the Mets' major league roster on August 6, his 22nd birthday. Pitcher Bobby Parnell was placed on the disabled list with a herniated disk in his neck, a roster spot filled by Flores. He made his debut that day against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field, going 0-for-4 at the plate and committing an error in the sixth inning, in what would be a 3–2 Mets win.

On August 7, he notched his first career major league hit, a single in the bottom of the second inning off Rockies pitcher Jhoulys Chacín. In the bottom of the eighth inning, he hit a base clearing double off pitcher Manny Corpas for his first three major league RBI. The Mets would go on to win 5–0. On August 11, he hit his first career home run, a solo home run to right field off Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Heath Bell in the top of the ninth inning, to extend the Mets lead to 9–5, which became the final score.