While there may not always be a ton of stock in the top-30 prospect lists, it can shed some light on top performers and those who have earned credit within the organization. Wilmer Flores is one of the players who fits that build in the Detroit Tigers organization.
With MLB dot com releasing its’ recent update of the Detroit Tigers’ top-30 prospects list, there were plenty of people on the rise, those who fell, and some who joined the list altogether, with draftees making the cut. I tend to place less value on these lists as time passes, but they provide an excellent snapshot of who is performing well.
Especially for players who may not have had as much recognition. Flores is a crisp example of this. Not to be confused with his brother, Wilmer Flores, the middle infielder for the San Francisco Giants and former New York Mets infielder famous for shedding tears on the field after being told he was traded in-game.
His brother, the aforementioned Wilmer Flores, has been in the Tigers system since the summer of 2020 after he was signed as an undrafted free agent. He joined the Tigers from Arizona Western College and was expected to become a future big league bullpen piece. Since then, he’s carved his path and has some thought the projection has changed.
Detroit Tigers Wilmer Flores has climbed up the latest prospect list.
Part of the reason Flores has garnered so much attention and jumped so high on the top prospect list is that he was deemed a reliever and has since flourished as a starter in the minors. As Jason Beck notes here, he was ranked no. 16 in the last Tigers’ top-3o prospect list and has jumped 13 spots up to no.3 throughout the season.
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He’s spent the 2022 season between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie, with a majority of his appearances coming with Erie. Here’s what the stats look like…
With the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps, he made five starts and one relief appearance, closing out a game. He accumulated 19.2 innings pitched, producing a 1.83 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP, punching out 35 opposing hitters in the process. He was more than deserving of a call-up.
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Since being called up with the Double-A Erie Seawolves, it’s been more of the same. Flores has pitched in 14 games, starting them all, accumulating 59.2 innings pitched. He’s managed a 2.26 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, and punched out 67 opposing hitters—another impressive stat line.
It makes it a little easier to see how he’s vaulted himself up the list of the top prospects.
But what makes Wilmer Flores so good?
Flores is a former collegiate arm who was expected to be exiled to the bullpen. However, he’s been able to use his stuff and earn start after start. He’s got a fastball that he’s improved his command of since being drafted, the velocity does not always jump off the radar at you in the upper-90s, but he can get up there during a start. Consider him a low- to mid-90s guy who might run one up in the upper-90s during a start.
His go-to secondary pitch is his high spin curveball. It’s his out-pitch and one that he trusts. He throws it in any count and can get whiffs with the pitch. He pairs his arsenal with a cutter and changeup as well. The cutter has some horizontal movement and can sometimes be tighter in the upper-80s.
It’s a quality pitch mix. Here’s a look at it in action.
Wilmer Flores went 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB, 3 K. Mixed FB, CT & CB. Fastball sat 92-93 mph, mixed in cutter at 84-86 mph, upper-70s CB. Only needed 68 pitches to get through six innings, 10 whiffs, 7 groundballs. Pitches backwards messes w/ sequencing, excellent CMD. #DetroitRoots pic.twitter.com/OffL8DbgHl
— Geoff Pontes (@GeoffPontesBA) August 15, 2022
There’s plenty of reason to be excited about Flores. Even as an undrafted free agent from the COVID-19 affected/canceled 2020 season, Flores has found his way. Seeing the big jump in the prospect list makes even more sense after seeing the success he has had.
It’s a name that jumps off the screen at you when you look at the updated list, but with a deeper dive, it’s easy to see why Flores gets his name moved up the top prospect list. The performance this summer has been solid. He’s been able to grab ahold of a starting role and likely shut down any talk of moving him to the bullpen.
If he keeps performing like this, there’s no reason even to consider moving him back to the bullpen. It will be interesting to see how he progresses when he makes the jump to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. After all, the Tigers may need a 25th starter on the depth chart by the end of the 2022 season with all the injuries they keep seeing.
