After discussing the possible resurgence of Drew Stubbs earlier in the week, we will continue discussing hitters that have the chance of really outperforming their draft slit in the later rounds. Although the majority the players we will be covering are currently in position battles this spring, it is wise to keep a close eye on their situations which will effect where they will be going off the board by the end of March.
Just like in the kitchen, preparation is key to successfully mastering your fantasy draft, with one of the main ingredients being finding value in the later rounds. In most cases we call these players "sleepers," but not all of these players are fresh faces that we have never seen before. In fact, the majority of the players we find in the later rounds we fine aging veterans on the decline, players returning from injury or players who have been up and down between the minor and majors still trying to find a permanent home. Whatever the case may be, these are the players that could be the difference in bringing home the trophy come September.
Since the term "deep sleeper" can mean a lot of different things, all players discussed in this series will hold an average draft position (ADP) of 250 or higher based off the most recent mock draft results of Fantasy Alarm's own Howard Bender and the Mock Draft Army. If you haven't checked out the Mock Draft Arm series,, be sure to give it a look as Howard continues to assemble some really good ADP information based on a series of mock drafts featuring experts from throughout the industry and fans alike. Now that we laid out the ground rules let's get cookin'...
Wilmer Flores, SS (NYM)
Mock Draft Army ADP: 310.1
The Mets appear to have finally put together a team that can compete in the competitive National League East, between a young up-in-coming pitching staff and a solid all around batting lineup. However, entering spring training the Mets have one whole to fill and that is a the shortstop postilion. Although Flores may give the Mets the most upside at the position, he still has a lot of prove to gain everyday duties at one of the most crucial spots on the diamond.
Flores was given the opportunity to prove himself at the big league level a season ago after slashing .323.367/.568 with 13 home runs and 57 RBI in 241 plate appearances at Triple-A, but his success in the minor didn't translate right away. in 274 plate appearances with the Mets, Flores slashed an unimpressive .251/.286/.378 with six home runs and 29 RBI ultimately making him a platoon player in the middle infield. On top of his struggles at the plate Flores was a below-average defender at shortstop, which could limit his breakout potential if he can't land the starting gig out of spring training.
On the plus side, Flores showed the power bat in the minor leagues to give both the Mets and prospective fantasy owners hope that he will one day be one of the better power-hitting shortstops in the game if given time to adjust to big league pitching. Once fully acclimated to the big league level, there is no doubt that Flores could be a perennial 15-20 home run hitter if his glove can stick. To add to his power potential, Flores rarely strikes out, as he struck out only once every 8.4 at-bats in his time with the Mets in 2014, which is something you don't normally see form a youngster with that little of experience.
Now for the down side. As mentioned earlier, his defense is below-average and could eventually be the difference between sticking at shortstop and becoming a platoon player. Although lack of defense means nothing to the fantasy game, if he can't work on both his foot work and range it is directly effect his playing time, which will put a damper on his coming out parade. As of right now Flores is in battle with Ruben Tejada and Matt Reynolds for the starting shortstop duties, but knowing that the Mets are in need of offense it is hard to believe that the Mets would turn to Tejada who is offensively limited or Reynolds who has zero big league experience and limited offensive upside.
With most drafts coming in late-March we will have plenty of time to see how this all plays out during Mets spring training, but there is no denying the upside Flores could bring to a fantasy team especially this late in drafts. In standard mixed formats it might be a bit of a reach to target Flores, knowing the question marks heading into camp, although the same can't be said for those in deep leagues. If waiting to fill the shortstop position (which can certainly be done this year) Flores makes for a solid addition if granted the starting job at shortstop and hopefully his big bat we saw thrive in the minors will finally translate to the big league level.