Coming out of Venezuela, Flores was one of the most highly-touted amateurs in the 2017 international class.  The 18-year-old infielder signed with the Red Sox for $1.4 million and quickly emerged as one of their most promising prospects.  After tearing up the DSL and making his stateside debut last year with a two-game cameo in the GCL, Flores has struggled in 2019.  With Short-Season Lowell, he is slashing .187/.297/.227 with a K:BB ratio of 48:23 over 47 games.

Despite his youth, Flores does not have much room for physical projection.  Listed at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, he lacks the loud tools and/or freakish athleticism that many fellow high-priced J2 signees possess.  Flores displays a smooth swing and feel for the barrel during batting practice. However, during live action, he gets defensive and shows lots of swing-and-miss with a heavy pass through the zone.  As Flores gets stronger and learns to incorporate his lower-half more effectively, he may be able to access his barrel awareness and make more consistent hard contact during games. He’s only as old as most high school seniors, so there’s still time to project overall offensive development. Defensively, Flores has a strong arm, soft hands and smooth, instinctual actions.  However, after adding weight to his frame since signing with the Red Sox, his range at shortstop is now fringy—making a future switch to the hot corner more likely at higher levels.

Without high-ceiling physical tools that jump off the page—especially if he can’t stick at shortstop—I didn’t come away seeing a profile likely to fit as a future everyday player. Flores still has time on his side and could start to show more of his true talent level as he gets less overmatched offensively, keeping him at least in the FV 35+ /Follow tier for now.