SARASOTA, FL: Rafael Flores of the New York Yankees bats during a Spring Breakout game against the … More<\/span> Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium on March 15, 2025. (Photo by Diamond Images via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Diamond Images\/Getty Images<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n That\u2019s no surprise to the 6-foot-4, 230-pound right-handed slugger who divides his time between catcher and first base and was named the Yankees\u2019 2024 Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe hitting side of my game, there\u2019s no drastic changes anymore, I\u2019m just trying to fine tune some things like my approach and my swing decisions,\u201d Flores told Mike Ashmore of mycentraljersey.com at the start of the 2025 season. \u201cThis offseason, I\u2019m just tried to feel the same things, feeling the same leg kick, feeling the same bat path. It\u2019s kind of just clicked, and it\u2019s been good so far, I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n Now in his fourth year in the minors, Flores has a ,278 career average with 59 doubles, 41 homers and 149 RBI in 277 games.<\/p>\n He\u2019s working hard to remain at catcher, where he has thrown out only 17 percent (45 of 271) runners attempting to steal in 132 games behind the plate. That\u2019s why he has also played 103 games at first base. His hustle on defense does impress, however.<\/p>\n Flores played baseball and basketball at Katella High School in Anaheim, then went off to nearby Cypress College for two years. In 49 games for the Chargers in 2018-20, he hit .342 (38-for-111) with 11 doubles, a triple and two homers. He had 24 walks to 14 strikeouts and drove in 28 runs.<\/p>\n After sitting out 2021, it was off to Rio Hondo College in nearby Whittier. The Roadrunners have produced three MLB players:<\/p>\n PITTSBURGH: John Urrea of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Three … More<\/span> Rivers Stadium in 1977. (Photo by George Gojkovich\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n ST. PETERSBURG, FL: Third baseman Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays hits a home run in the second … More<\/span> inning against the Chicago White Sox in Game 1 of the American League Divisional Series at Tropicana Field on Oct. 2, 2008. (Photo by J. Meric\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Flores was sensational at the school. He hit safely in his first 13 games, starting with a 4-for-5 debut featuring two homers and four RBI. After going 0-for-6, he hit safely in another 12 straight games. In 39 games overall, he batted .380 (63-for-166) with 16 doubles, 2 triples, 9 homers, 41 runs and 36 RBI. He also had 19 walks to 19 strikeouts.<\/p>\n After playing all his games close to home in southern California, Flores went to play in the Land of the Midnight Sun with the Alaska Goldpanners in the summer collegiate league. He hit .348 with 36 RBI in 28 games.<\/p>\n The Yankees signed him for $75,000 one week after the draft on July 25, 2002. His coach at Rio Hondo, Mike Salazar, told reporters then that The Bronx Bombers had been watching Flores for some time and intended to draft him in the middle rounds.<\/p>\n MLB Pipeline has him ranked 15th overall in the Yankees system and explains that Flores\u2019 career path is like that of current New York catcher-first baseman Ben Rice.<\/p>\n Rice, 26, has 10 homers in 44 games for New York this year. He\u2019s built about the same as Flores but hits left-handed.<\/p>\n Baseball America <\/em>ranks Flores as the Yanks\u2019 10th-best prospect.<\/p>\n TAMPA, FL: Rafael Flores of the New York Yankees bats against the Pittsburgh Pirates at George M. … More<\/span> Steinbrenner Field on March 16, 2025. (Photo by Leah King\/Diamond Images via Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s about right from what I have seen,\u201d said a scout for a rival AL team. \u201cHe\u2019s got raw power to the pull side, for sure, and doesn\u2019t chase out of the zone. His strikeouts have come, from what I can tell, on pitch recognition, change of speeds. That gets the best of them.<\/p>\n \u201cThe best of them learn to adjust and become more selective. Flores has got to do that.<\/p>\n \u201cDefensively, he\u2019s got an average arm for a catcher but pretty good footwork for such a big guy. He needs to play there and gain experience.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he could be an average catcher with big power, probably off the bench as a backup or in a platoon and get some ABs at DH and first base.\u201d<\/p>\n The New York Yankees have the reputation of buying free agents. Shrewdly scouting players such as Rafael Flores at small schools sometimes pays off, too. If he becomes another Bronx Bomber, the 29 other teams have nobody to blame but themselves for not taking a chance on him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rafael Flores has hit well everywhere he has played. Yet no MLB team drafted him. The New York Yankees were prepared to do so, passed, and eventually signed him anyway.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":65037,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[162,2165,2234,2235,2233,2236,2120],"class_list":["post-65035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-aaron-judge","tag-ben-rice","tag-evan-longoria","tag-mlb-pipeline","tag-rafael-flores","tag-somerset-patriots","tag-tampa-bay-rays"],"yoast_head":"\nBuilding A Resume<\/h2>\n
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![\"Spring](\"https:\/\/imageio.forbes.com\/specials-images\/imageserve\/68362418c500113f8cc9ba21\/Spring-Breakout---New-York-Yankees-v-Baltimore-Orioles\/0x0.jpg?format=jpg&crop=3076,1835,x0,y153,safe&width=1440\")
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![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/imageio.forbes.com\/specials-images\/imageserve\/6836254937de24a189c5fc32\/Chicago-White-Sox-v-Tampa-Bay-Rays--Game-1\/0x0.jpg?format=jpg&crop=3000,1690,x0,y94,safe&width=1440\")
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Off To Alaska!<\/h2>\n
Scouting This New York Yankees Prospect<\/h2>\n
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