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New York Mets Wilmer Flores Continues Mashing

By Kenneth Teape

Jul 7, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets first baseman Wilmer Flores (4) takes a curtain call after hitting a three run home run against the Washington Nationals during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 7, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets first baseman Wilmer Flores (4) takes a curtain call after hitting a three run home run against the Washington Nationals during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Mets need to find a place in the lineup for Wilmer Flores, as he is crushing the ball at the plate currently.

The New York Mets had a plan in place for Wilmer Flores when the season began. He was expected to be a super utility player, appearing in games all over the infield as a useful utility man off the bench.

That plan never truly went into action, as the Mets have battled injuries throughout the season. Flores was expected to be the backup first baseman as well, but has played only 28 innings there as he dealt with injuries of his own and the Mets found a strong replacement for Lucas Duda in James Loney.

Because of that, Flores has seen most of his time this season at third base, as David Wright is sidelined for a while and probably the remainder of the season. But, the Mets did not seem to believe that Flores is not the answer, as they went out and signed Jose Reyes off waivers after he was designated for assignment by the Colorado Rockies.

As a result, Flores has found himself with what looks like a limited role, as Reyes has supplanted him as the starting third baseman. While many fans are happy to see Reyes back, and he has performed well since returning, manager Terry Collins needs to find a way to get Flores’ bat into the lineup when he is as hot as he is recently.

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Flores has been outstanding at the plate recently, as he has smashed five home runs in the past five games. He has two multi home run games, including a 6-for-6 performance against the Chicago Cubs last week in a big series sweep. Wednesday against the Miami Marlins Flores once again had a two homer game, and he continued the power surge last night against the Washington Nationals.

Flores did not start the game, but came in as part of a double switch in the fifth inning when Bartolo Colon was removed from the game. He quickly made his presence felt again, as he hit a three-run home run to give the Mets a 7-6 after the Nationals had taken the lead in the top half of the fifth inning.

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While Reyes looks to have gotten an everyday spot in the lineup, it should not be at the expense of Flores. This series against the Nationals is a big one, and the Mets need to have their hottest hitters in the lineup to knock them off.

Flores would fall into that group, as he is performing as well at the plate now as he has all season. The Mets need to ride the hot hand as long as they can, as Flores should be in the lineup everyday until he cools off.

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