Wilmer Flores

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #15 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: The younger brother of longtime big league infielder Wilmer Flores, the younger Flores is a scouting success story for the Tigers. They signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Arizona Western JC despite the fact that he’d thrown just 11.2 innings in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He emerged in 2022 when he reached Double-A, but his 2023 season was a modest step back.
  
  Scouting Report: Flores missed a month late in the season with a hamstring injury, and he struggled mightily in a rehab stint at High-A West Michigan to end the season. He was better in the Arizona Fall League, but even there batters hit .338 against him. Flores has shown he can touch 97-98 mph in the past, but he sat 92-94 in 2023 and topped out at 95. With a little less velocity, his fastball was fringe-average in many starts, which forced him to rely more on his two breaking balls. His 83-84 mph above-average slider is quite effective largely because of how well he can command it, and his average 77-79 mph curveball is effective at giving lefties something to worry about. His below-average changeup needs improvement, as he hasn’t found a grip to make it a pitch he can throw with conviction. Flores remains an above-average strike thrower, but with less ability to miss bats, he had to nibble more in 2023.
  
  The Future: The Tigers added Flores to the 40-man roster to protect him from the 2023 Rule 5 draft. He is one of the team’s better pitching prospects, but the Tigers hope he can regain some of his 2022 form.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 55
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #3 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/High
  
  Track Record: The younger brother of Giants infielder Wilmer Flores, the righthander of the same name signed as a nondrafted free agent in 2020 out of Arizona Western JC. Flores threw just 11.2 inning in his lone junior college season, and he ended up at Arizona Western because he enrolled there while visiting his brother in the U.S. from Venezuela. Flores began his professional career with four appearances in the Florida Complex League in 2021 before receiving a promotion to Low-A Lakeland. He represented Detroit in the Arizona Fall League, and the extended time on the mound prepared Flores for a strong campaign in 2022. Between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie, Flores posted a 2.79 ERA over 103.1 innings with 130 strikeouts and 23 walks.
  
  Scouting Report: Flores worked with a three-pitch mix in 2022, primarily throwing his four-seam fastball and mid-to-upper-80s cutter. His fastball sat in the 92-94 mph range and touched 99 with sinking life. He showed excellent feel to land the pitch and threw it for a strike 70% of the time. His go-to secondary was his cutter, which averaged around 9 mph slower than his fastball and was a slightly better whiff pitch and chase offering compared to his fastball. Scouts like Flores' curveball, which is an upper-70s to lower-80s breaking ball with 11-to-5 movement, solid two-plane break and depth. His curve shows spin rates in the 2,500-2,600 rpm range. Flores throws the pitch for strikes less frequently than his fastball or cutter, but it was also his best swing-and-miss offering in 2022, with a 41% whiff rate.
  
  The Future: Two years after signing as a nondrafted free agent in the truncated five-round 2020 draft, Flores is looking like a steal, with considerably higher upside now and a path to a solid back-end starter role with plus control.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 55. Cutter: 50. Control: 60
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #22 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: The younger brother of major leaguer Wilmer Flores, the righthander signed as a nondrafted free agent in 2020 out of Arizona Western JC. He began his professional career with four appearances in the Florida Complex League before seeing promotion to Low-A Lakeland in mid-July.
  
  Scouting Report: Flores deploys a four-pitch arsenal that leans heavily on a fastball and curveball combination. The fastball is a higher spin four-seam with natural cut sitting 93-95 mph touching 98 mph at peak. He commands the fastball fairly well showing a healthy preference to his armside. His low-80s curveball features 11-5 movement with heavy two-plane break and moderate depth. His command of the pitch comes and goes, but at it’s best he can land it on the bottom of the zone to steal strikes, or bury it glove side for chases and whiffs. He throws a high-80s cutter and a mid-80s changeup as well, but each pitch was hit hard in 2021 and grades out as below-average. Evaluators like the power of Flores fastball and curveball combination and can envision the righthander settling into a middle relief role.
  
  The Future: The Detroit scouting department did a good job identifying Flores’ upside and signed him as an NDFA. He rewarded the organization with a strong performance across a pair of levels. With high octane stuff and the ability to miss bats and throw strikes, Flores has the look of a feature middle relief arm used in single inning appearances.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/High
  
  Track Record: The younger brother of Giants infielder Wilmer Flores, the righthander of the same name signed as a nondrafted free agent in 2020 out of Arizona Western JC. Flores threw just 11.2 inning in his lone junior college season, and he ended up at Arizona Western because he enrolled there while visiting his brother in the U.S. from Venezuela. Flores began his professional career with four appearances in the Florida Complex League in 2021 before receiving a promotion to Low-A Lakeland. He represented Detroit in the Arizona Fall League, and the extended time on the mound prepared Flores for a strong campaign in 2022. Between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie, Flores posted a 2.79 ERA over 103.1 innings with 130 strikeouts and 23 walks.
  
  Scouting Report: Flores worked with a three-pitch mix in 2022, primarily throwing his four-seam fastball and mid-to-upper-80s cutter. His fastball sat in the 92-94 mph range and touched 99 with sinking life. He showed excellent feel to land the pitch and threw it for a strike 70% of the time. His go-to secondary was his cutter, which averaged around 9 mph slower than his fastball and was a slightly better whiff pitch and chase offering compared to his fastball. Scouts like Flores' curveball, which is an upper-70s to lower-80s breaking ball with 11-to-5 movement, solid two-plane break and depth. His curve shows spin rates in the 2,500-2,600 rpm range. Flores throws the pitch for strikes less frequently than his fastball or cutter, but it was also his best swing-and-miss offering in 2022, with a 41% whiff rate.
  
  The Future: Two years after signing as a nondrafted free agent in the truncated five-round 2020 draft, Flores is looking like a steal, with considerably higher upside now and a path to a solid back-end starter role with plus control.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 55. Cutter: 50. Control: 60
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/High
  
  Track Record: The younger brother of Giants infielder Wilmer Flores, the righthander of the same name signed as a nondrafted free agent in 2020 out of Arizona Western JC. Flores threw just 11.2 inning in his lone junior college season, and he ended up at Arizona Western because he enrolled there while visiting his brother in the U.S. from Venezuela. Flores began his professional career with four appearances in the Florida Complex League in 2021 before receiving a promotion to Low-A Lakeland. He represented Detroit in the Arizona Fall League, and the extended time on the mound prepared Flores for a strong campaign in 2022. Between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie, Flores posted a 2.79 ERA over 103.1 innings with 130 strikeouts and 23 walks.
  
  Scouting Report: Flores worked with a three-pitch mix in 2022, primarily throwing his four-seam fastball and mid-to-upper-80s cutter. His fastball sat in the 92-94 mph range and touched 99 with sinking life. He showed excellent feel to land the pitch and threw it for a strike 70% of the time. His go-to secondary was his cutter, which averaged around 9 mph slower than his fastball and was a slightly better whiff pitch and chase offering compared to his fastball. Scouts like Flores' curveball, which is an upper-70s to lower-80s breaking ball with 11-to-5 movement, solid two-plane break and depth. His curve shows spin rates in the 2,500-2,600 rpm range. Flores throws the pitch for strikes less frequently than his fastball or cutter, but it was also his best swing-and-miss offering in 2022, with a 41% whiff rate.
  
  The Future: Two years after signing as a nondrafted free agent in the truncated five-round 2020 draft, Flores is looking like a steal, with considerably higher upside now and a path to a solid back-end starter role with plus control.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 55. Cutter: 50. Control: 60
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 55/High
  
  May Update: In 2020, Flores walked more than a batter an inning at Arizona Western JC (12 walks in 11.2 IP). The Tigers signed him as a nondrafted free agent anyway and just two years later, he&#39 s emerged as one of the team&#39 s best pitching prospects. Flores&#39 mid-90s fastball is impressive, but it&#39 s his hard, 12-to-6 77-83 mph curveball that causes hitters the biggest issues. Flores has complete confidence in his ability to land it for strikes or bury it depending on the situation. His once shaky control is now plus or even plus-plus. He&#39 s walked two batters in his first 19.2 innings and has a 72.2% strike percentage, far beyond the MiLB average of 63%.
  
  Track Record: The younger brother of major leaguer Wilmer Flores, the righthander signed as a nondrafted free agent in 2020 out of Arizona Western JC. He began his professional career with four appearances in the Florida Complex League before seeing promotion to Low-A Lakeland in mid-July.
  
  Scouting Report: Flores deploys a four-pitch arsenal that leans heavily on a fastball and curveball combination. The fastball is a higher spin four-seam with natural cut sitting 93-95 mph touching 98 mph at peak. He commands the fastball fairly well showing a healthy preference to his armside. His low-80s curveball features 11-5 movement with heavy two-plane break and moderate depth. His command of the pitch comes and goes, but at it&#39 s best he can land it on the bottom of the zone to steal strikes, or bury it glove side for chases and whiffs. He throws a high-80s cutter and a mid-80s changeup as well, but each pitch was hit hard in 2021 and grades out as below-average. Evaluators like the power of Flores fastball and curveball combination and can envision the righthander settling into a middle relief role.
  
  The Future: The Detroit scouting department did a good job identifying Flores&#39 upside and signed him as an NDFA. He rewarded the organization with a strong performance across a pair of levels. With high octane stuff and the ability to miss bats and throw strikes, Flores has the look of a feature middle relief arm used in single inning appearances.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Curveball: 60. Changeup: 40. Cutter: 40. Control: 60.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The younger brother of major leaguer Wilmer Flores, the righthander signed as a nondrafted free agent in 2020 out of Arizona Western JC. He began his professional career with four appearances in the Florida Complex League before seeing promotion to Low-A Lakeland in mid-July.
  
  Scouting Report: Flores deploys a four-pitch arsenal that leans heavily on a fastball and curveball combination. The fastball is a higher spin four-seam with natural cut sitting 93-95 mph touching 98 mph at peak. He commands the fastball fairly well showing a healthy preference to his armside. His low-80s curveball features 11-5 movement with heavy two-plane break and moderate depth. His command of the pitch comes and goes, but at it’s best he can land it on the bottom of the zone to steal strikes, or bury it glove side for chases and whiffs. He throws a high-80s cutter and a mid-80s changeup as well, but each pitch was hit hard in 2021 and grades out as below-average. Evaluators like the power of Flores fastball and curveball combination and can envision the righthander settling into a middle relief role.
  
  The Future: The Detroit scouting department did a good job identifying Flores’ upside and signed him as an NDFA. He rewarded the organization with a strong performance across a pair of levels. With high octane stuff and the ability to miss bats and throw strikes, Flores has the look of a feature middle relief arm used in single inning appearances.