according to Metsblog in the interview with Alderson he mentioned that Wilmer may play three positions this season...we,and i imagine everyone else in baseball,know that he can play third so i'd either put him at second for the entire season or the OF....

depending on what the organization plans on doing with Flores i'd put him at second or the OF as those moves might make him an option for our ML club,keeping him at 3b pretty much confirms that he'll be a trade chip moving forward

A right handed power hitter at 2B would be nice but I'm not exactly against keeping Murphy. The only thing I've heard about Flores' ability in the OF is that he's slower than Duda ... which I didn't think possible.

lol,they should probably have a race in ST,it would be like a potato sack race just without the potato sacks

i like Murph a lot but if Flores can continue to progress offensively AND become a second baseman he gives us great depth at second as far as a deal is concerned

OR if he can play the outfield maybe he can help us there as well

then again,if he plays third and puts up excellent numbers at Las Vegas he could land us a top natural OF prospect from a team that needs a third bagger

but ultimately,being able to play second AND third opens up more options for us as well as increases the number of teams that might be potential trade partners

>>The only thing I've heard about Flores' ability in the OF is that he's slower than Duda ... which I didn't think possible.<<

It's all about the read on the ball when speed is an issue. Duda is often surprised that the ball goes so high in the air, so his reaction time is a bit slower than your traditional outfielder. Hopefully reps can fix this for him.

If this guy (Flores) is an outfield option get him out there and let him play the position, stop doing things half as sed.

I agree about the half-a** approach to him. The kid is nearly ready offensively (likely begining of 2014), but yet they are still trying to decided where he should play.

I certainly hope that by mid-season they'll pick a position and stick to it. It will be much harder/pressured to learn at the major league level on the fly.

It would be great if he could handle a corner OF spot, but as stated, if speed is not good, then he'd better be great on getting jumps and making judgements on angles to make up for it.

Or just swap the kid with another team for an OF prospect of equal ceiling.

If Flores is having a monster year and is serviceable in the outfield..how soon you think til he comes up to the Bigs?

This is my opinion and don't care what others think but I have to say, if I'm a young player in the minors on the verge of being called up, would it be inconceivable for me to practice heavy were I might be needed. For instance, Wilmer is blocked at 3rd and at 1B for sure. He could be an option at 2B and definitely in the OF, wouldn't I be taking mad reps during the offseason especially the positions I'm not too familiar with to give myself the best chance at making it and sticking with the big club? Should he wait til ST or when the Minor League season starts to do this? Same thing with Duda, shouldn't he be busting his behind getting in shape and knowing how to play the OF (since he's blocked as well at 1B)?

Unless everyone on the farm is supposed to be a super sub.

The Dude got a part time job moving furniture to get in shape...well that didn't work out to well.

i guess it would depend on what the outfield looks like and how they're performing as well as how well Flores is hitting and playing

if it's Duda,Kirk,and Baxter and Baxter or Duda is having a bad year while Flores is looking good maybe by the All Star Break?...i have no idea what his arm in the OF would project as being the better fit,right or left

You would think as a 3B his arm would need to be above average.

hope Flores can play a corner OF position, could possible platoon with Duda in left, and spell Murphy at 2nd too but don't see him displacing either one and with good years all 3 could be trade bait. But if he can hit would like him to stay.

i think a lot of it depends on where the team wants him to play,he could get a thousand reps in the OF but if the team wants him to play third it would be wasted time

NOW if the team wants to spread him out between three positions the question is can he get enough reps in at all three positions to become effective? Hence the argument that they should pick one spot and put him there all year

we know he can play third,so even if he spent the whole year at second or the whole year in the outfield while he would become rusty at third he could come around at that position after some time and reps

which is why i feel they should pick second or OF,play him there for the season and see what they've got

that's a good point,so maybe rightfield would be an option

and i think this is where the braintrust of the organization has to come in and try to project where they see their roster in a year or two

don't forget Murphy will be starting to make more money over the next couple of years and they have to decide whether or not he fits their long term plans,that should at least be part of the thinking regarding where to try Flores...or do they think they can slot in Valdespin and therefore put Flores in the OF?

or do they think Flores' best value would be at third with all parties knowing he's going to be dealt and it's just a matter or time?

some of the questions that should be considered when it comes to Wilmer

Alderson said at the fan Q & A that if a kid could hit they'd find a place for him to play. I'm not sure if the question was specifically about Flores or not, but it certainly seems to apply. It continues to frustrate me that the club has as many players as they do who don't seem to have a position. I guess this is a remnant from the Minaya era when he drafted too many infielders/guys lacking in all around defensive skills.

I think it would be a waste if they played him very much at third base. Obviously, he isn't going to play there if he remains a Met. And I also don't think he's as attractive to other teams as a third baseman, speaking purely as trade bait. I'm sure most teams look at third base as one of their power positions. Wilmer's HR total of 18 last season was his highest career total. I think the Mets and Flores would be better served if the Mets played him mostly at second base and left field (if they want to try him in the outfield). If he continued to hit AND show himself to be the superior defensive second baseman to Murphy, then Murphy could be used as a trade chip after this coming season. If Flores showed more promise in the outfield, then great. Either play him there in 2014 or use him as trade bait if we think we could get a more sure thing for the outfield.

I think the Mets' choice of where they're going to have Flores play should be both with the Mets AND a prospective trade in mind.

i agree,i'd choose to play him in the OF or at second base because he's blocked at third and we already know he can man the position if we needed to deal him to a team that wanted a young third baseman

my only concern regarding splitting time between OF and 2b would be the number of reps needed to become efficient (and eventually proficient?) at either...that's why i think the FO should try to determine what it thinks of Murph in regards to potentially making more money over the next few seasons,whether they think Wilmer can handle 2b,or whether they think he's got the potential to be a leftfielder

all that "stuff" has to be thrown into the cauldron of the decision regarding where to put him this year