Prospect Profile with video: Rafael Flores

6-foot-4

220-pounds

First baseman, catcher

Right-handed

23-years-old

The Yankees went the entire 2022 draft without taking a catcher. There were several reasons for this. Firstly, they had excellent catching depth throughout the organization and it wouldn’t have made much sense to draft a catcher who might struggle to fight for playing time. On top of that, they had a few talented catchers coming up from the DSL.

There was a third reason though. They had scouted a catcher from junior college at Rio Hondo in Los Angeles that they knew no one else was on. Someone they figured they could sign after the draft.  That someone was Rafael Flores.

Flores had hit .380/.442/.663/1.145 with nine homeruns, 16 doubles, and two triples that year with Rio Hondo. Defensively, he threw out 19% of would-be base stealers. He struck out just 19 times in 39 games.

After signing, he picked up right where he left off, hitting .429 in four games with two homeruns and a double. He also went off in the FCL playoffs that year.

The Yankees were so impressed with his hitting ability they assigned him to High-A to begin the 2023 season. After a hot start, Flores cooled off a bit. Still, it was a successful first full season for a guy who went from junior college to High-A in just one year. Rafael finished the year with a .259/.346/.367/.712 line with eight homeruns, 15 doubles, and a triple in 105 games. He struck out 108 times in 109 games.

Flores was also able to replicate his defensive stats from juco in High-A, including a .995 fielding percentage and 18% caught stealing rate in 33 games behind the dish. He played most of his games at first base, where he had just one error in 55 games.

Rafael has been called a pure hitter with great bat-to-ball skills by his coaches and scouts. He has a good approach and adjusts every at bat. When you watch him play it’s easy to see where these assessments come from. Flores sprays the ball all over the field and is particularly adept at hitting gap to gap. He can even put the ball in the right field seats from time to time.

Flores hits the ball hard and produces impressive exit velocity. The last missing ingredient as a hitter is the ability to lift the ball. He’s the type of player who could really benefit from an increase in launch angle. If he learns that skill, he’ll be able to hit more extra base hits and homeruns.

Defensively, Flores has a slick glove at first base. He can pick it with the best of them. He is also effective at preventing passed balls as a catcher and has an above average arm. Where he still needs some improvement is with framework and quickness. Flores will be able to throw out more baserunners if he can learn to get the ball out faster.

The Yankees have been increasingly proficient at finding diamonds in the rough from the undrafted free agent pool. Rafael Flores appears to be another example of their recent success. With a few adjustments next season, there’s a chance he’ll be able to put his name on the map.

He’ll likely start out in Double-A in 2024 and is a good candidate to fill the Ben Rice role. He will get plenty of time at catcher and more than a few games at first base. Rice is going to be a tough act to follow, but Flores has the chance to find his own path to success.