Wilmer Flores Could Probably Be The Starting 2nd Baseman For a Lot of Teams

NYDailyNews.com:

This isn’t exactly what Wilmer Flores wanted. The Mets’ infielder, who broke into tears at the thought of being traded out of the organization two years ago, is not comfortable with his role, or more precisely, his lack of a consistent role. 

“It’s gonna be hard if you don’t play for three days and you got to go out there and do your thing,” Flores said. “The only thing I can do is get ready to play.”

Flores is most comfortable playing at second base, but he went all in when the Mets asked him to become their everyday shortstop before the 2015 season. When the team then went out and signed veteran shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera before the 2016 season, Flores was pushed into a utility role, benched and used as a platoon player against lefthanded pitchers.

It’s not a comfortable role for him, but he has to deal with it.

“The one thing about his situation is you don’t have to like it,” Mets manager Terry Collins said Friday. “You just have to accept it and be ready to play.”

A starting 2nd baseman who could give you 20 dingers and 70 to 80 RBI's over a full season while playing steady defense is not something that should be taken for grated in the major leagues. And while Wilmer Flores could probably bring that palette to a handful of MLB teams, barring a major injury to one of the infield starters, it's just not going to happen with the Mets. Should Flores think about that more the next time he's a free agent? Sure. Till then, like Terry Collins, he just needs to chill out and accept his backup/utility role with the team.

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