Wilmer Flores' 2011 Topps Heritage minor league edition baseball card from my collection
Anthony DiComo wrote an interesting piece about New York Mets prospect Wilmer Flores yesterday for MLB.com. As Fernando Martinez‘s star faded, Flores became the next highly-regarded position player prospect in the farm system. At one point, Flores was being developed as a shortstop. Now he’s a third baseman, and there is a chance he may have to shift to the outfield.
More important, Flores is going to have to start using his natural talent to produce tangible results soon… otherwise, he may find his career taking the same track as other one-time prospects, such as Martinez or Lastings Milledge.
Now, Flores finds himself at something of a career crossroads. Either the Mets send him back to St. Lucie, where he will no longer be notably young for the level, or they promote him to Double-A Binghamton on the basis of nothing more than projection.
Fun stuff.
But I did see another story that made me smile. Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that the Colorado Rockies have offered a minor league contract to Jamie Moyer, 49, who made his major league debut in 1986. He is the last active baseball player who began his career around the time I started to follow the game, and I hope that he finds a way to keep pitching forever.
We’re 34 days away from the official start of spring training for the New York Mets, when pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie, Fla.
A lot of Mets players have worn #34, starting with pitcher Dave Hillman in 1962. Most recently, it’s been assigned to Mike Pelfrey. Cleon Jones. a Mets star outfielder of the late 1960s and early 1970s, briefly wore #34 at the beginning of his career in New York, and Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan began his major league career with #34 on his back before switching to #30 for the rest of his Mets tenure.
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