FanPost

Ramon Flores: Somehow Avoiding the Unemployment Line


In the middle of a rebuild, Brewers fans anticipated the 2016 version of their team to field some younger, inexperienced players who would struggle to adapt to life in a major league uniform. One player who won a job with the club as a 4th outfielder was Ramon Flores. Flores used a fairly productive spring (.288/.373/.404) and the versatility to play all three OF positions to lock down a bench role on the 25 man roster. Injuries to Domingo Santana and the clubs' diligent maintenance of Ryan Braun's baulky back have gifted Flores ample opportunity to show what he could do in his first full season in the big leagues. After an underwhelming cup-of-coffee with the Yankees last season, Flores has shown basically what he is after roughly 100 games now at the major league level. And the results haven't been pretty.

Flores sports a .214 average entering play today with only 1 HR and 8 doubles through 253 plate appearances. Junior Guerra currently owns a better batting avg and slugging percentage than the young Brewers outfielder. Hernan Perez has 3 more XBH than Flores in 118 LESS PAs. He also sports the lowest oWAR on the club at -0.8, which I don't have to tell you is putrid. With minor league options remaining, you have to wonder how a light-hitting, merely average defensive player has held onto his job throughout the course of the season up until this point.

The Brewers do have other options for a utility OF. Michael Reed has rebounded nicely at AAA Colorado Springs after a rough start and his plate discipline and above average base running would make him an ideal candidate to replace Flores on the roster. Alex Presley, whom the Brewers DFA'd not that long ago, has accepted his assignment to AAA and played rather well in the offensive friendly confines of Colorado's thin air. Presley was at least capable of providing some pop from the left side of the plate earlier in the season, although he suffered from the same contact issues as Flores. Keon Broxton, while horrible in his first stint with Milwaukee this year, has kept his numbers in AAA very respectable and gives the Brewers plus speed and a better defensive option in the field. Broxton is also an elite base stealing threat and would give Manager Craig Counsell more option in hit-and-run and pinch running situations. Digging a little deeper, you then have Shane Peterson who gave Milwaukee some decent production in limited action last season. Peterson has the ability to play all 3 OF positions as well, and is also left handed. Peterson can play a little first base as well, which also may prove beneficial in late inning situations. He's currently hitting .347 in AAA and may be deserving of a call-up to get Flores some regular at bats and hopefully some confidence in a hitter-friendly environment.

It's simply amazing to me that Flores has not spent one day in 2016 off of the 25 man roster and we're nearly into August. He's been a black hole offensively and hasn't really provided the kind of defense you would hope for from an OF capable of manning all three spots. At some point, GM David Stearns and Counsell will have to make a move and demote Flores as this team can ill afford to not take serious looks at some of these other pieces down on the farm. Peterson or Presley make the most sense to me as they've got a better track record and you wouldn't worry about an arbitration clock with him. But Reed and Broxton are interesting too in that they could prove to be viable pieces of the rebuild for the next few years if either one could prove themselves over the next two months.