Flores, a top Pirates prospect, fuels his competitive drive with a unique chip on his shoulder, ready to make his mark.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have four catchers on their 40-man roster, and all have major league experience. However, just two of them are likely to make the club out of spring training.
Joey Bart is the incumbent primary catcher, and he was backed up by Henry Davis last season. The Pirates also have Endy Rodriguez, who will likely begin the season on the injured list while recovering from his second elbow surgery in a 21-month span.
Then there is Rafael Flores, an intriguing rookie who was part of a three-prospect package Pittsburgh received from the New York Yankees at last year’s trade deadline for All-Star closer David Bednar. Baseball America ranks Flores as the Pirates’ No. 6 prospect.
Flores will likely begin the upcoming season at Triple-A Indianapolis. However, he is ready to engage in some friendly competition in spring training, which begins Feb. 11. Flores arrived in Bradenton, Fla., on Jan. 11 to get a head start.
“Competing is what drives me,” Flores said. “I have this saying that — it's going to be on my catcher's gear this year — ‘I have a lot of shoulder on my chip.' So, it's just reversed. But I've had that forever. I'm a (junior college) guy. I love to compete. I love to compete against other people. So, if I can keep that mentality, I'm going to be successful.”
Flores, 24, made his big-league debut last season on Sept. 17. He played seven games and went 3 for 15 with two doubles, finding the experience to be enlightening in a bit of a surprising way.
“What I took the most is that the big leagues and the minor leagues aren't very different,” Flores said. “It's the same baseball. It's just at a higher level, but if you feel like you belong, you'll be there for a long time. And it's just about how hard you work. And that's the only thing I really know how to do, work hard, so I know if I stay consistent, stay healthy, I'll be up there forever.”
Pittsburgh hopes Flores can be a long-term lineup fixture after he hit 21 home runs in the minor leagues in 2024 and 22 last season. Flores plans to stick with the things that made him successful in the Yankees’ farm system.
“I always like to say, 'Don't fix what isn't broken,’” Flores said. “And I did the same things this offseason, same routine, same everything, so I'm kind of just going to stick with it.”
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