It took a while for Flores to get noticed as a college player. He spent two years at Cypress JC in California, took a year off and then played a third season at the JUCO level at Rio Honda (Calif.). The Yankees saw him playing summer ball for the Alaska Goldpanners and signed him for $75,000 in 2022 as a nondrafted free agent. Things started to click for him when he hit 21 homers and earned Yankees Minor League player of the year honors in 2024. He kept on slugging at Double-A in 2025 and moved up to Triple-A before being the key prospect in the David Bednar deal at the Trade Deadline. Flores finished the year with 22 total homers and made his big league debut with the Pirates.
A big right-handed-hitting catcher at 6-foot-4, Flores provides the classic combination of big impact and big swing-and-miss concerns. He can really crush balls to his pull side and there could be even more impact if he can make some more adjustments. The quality of contact is so good when it happens that a team can live with some whiffs, but the hope is he can cut down the strikeouts a bit and drive the ball in the air to all fields more consistently.
The Pirates feel more optimistic in Flores’ ability to catch, despite his size. He works very well with young pitchers and does a better job with things like blocking and agility than they expected. He has plus arm strength but has struggled with accuracy and has worked to make some adjustments there to improve that aspect of his game. He’s a solid defender at first, giving another option to get that power bat into the lineup, and he plays a bit with that junior college, undrafted chip on his shoulder.
Flores took a circuitous path to pro ball, playing two seasons at Cypress (Calif.) JC in 2019-20, sitting out the next year, then resurfacing at Rio Honda (Calif.) JC in 2022, having a big summer with the Alaska Goldpanners and signing for $75,000 as a nondrafted free agent. His backstory is similar to that of Ben Rice, another Yankees offensive-minded catcher/first baseman who got limited exposure in college but stood out in summer ball. Flores was named the system's 2024 Minor League player of the year after slashing .279/.379/.495 with 21 homers in 122 games between High-A and Double-A. He put up good numbers at Double-A in 2025, earning a July promotion to Triple-A before being sent to the Pirates as part of the David Bednar Trade Deadline deal.
Flores has generated plus raw power and registered some of the best exit velocities among Yankees farmhands before the trade. A right-handed hitter, he employs a pull-heavy approach designed to crush balls to left field, and he could tap into even more pop if he could make more consistent contact and lift more balls in the air. He has a disciplined approach but comes with in-zone swing-and-miss issues, though Pirates scouts are bullish about his offensive upside
Though he's bigger than most backstops, Flores moves OK for a 6-foot-4, 232-pounder and continues to improve behind the plate as he gets more reps. He still needs to refine his receiving, framing and blocking but looks more and more like a viable slugger who can catch and play first base. He has average arm strength, but inconsistent mechanics and accuracy led to 115 steals against him at an 84 percent success rate in 67 starts last year.
Flores spent two seasons at Cypress (Calif.) JC in 2019-20, sat out the next year and resurfaced at Rio Hondo (Calif.) JC in 2022. Signed for $75,000 as a nondrafted free agent by the Yankees after a big summer with the Alaska Goldpanners, he had a decent first full pro season in High-A before taking a step forward this year. His backstory is similar to that of Ben Rice, a fellow offensive-minded catcher/first baseman who got limited exposure in college but stood out in summer ball.
A right-handed hitter, Flores stands out with his plus raw power and some of the best exit velocities in the system. He has a pull-heavy approach that allows him to crush balls to left field, and he could tap into even more pop if he could make more consistent contact and launch more balls in the air. He doesn't chase pitches excessively but does have some trouble handling breaking pitches.
Though he's big for a catcher, Flores moves reasonably well for a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder. He needs a lot more reps behind the plate to improve his receiving, framing and blocking, and he also needs to refine his throwing mechanics and accuracy to get the most out of his average arm. He profiles as a power-hitting reserve who can fill in at catcher and first base.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's batted balls would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
HR
2025
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2026
7
7
7
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
7
8
8
7
7
7
8
8
7
8
8
8
7
8
8
6
8
8
8
Player
7
7
7
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
7
8
8
7
7
7
8
8
7
9
8
8
7
8
8
6
8
8
8
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's batted balls would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
