Sticking Points 2038.18: Can Francisco Flores Win Sawyer Silk?
Posted: Mon May 20, 2019 10:58 am
It's one of those questions that's hard to answer: can a catcher who plays 135 games win the most coveted batter award over an everyday outfielder with 50 home runs? Well, if that player's name is Francisco Flores, the answer to that question is yes: the catcher is on pace to win his first batting title this year barring a huge slump, and is currently rated as the second-most valuable position player in the JL.
"I'm a little lucky that Jared Gillstrom's not 27 years old or we wouldn't be having this conversation," Francisco Flores joked. "Seriously, though, it's an honor to be in the discussion for this award."
Flores first made headlines as an 18-year old rookie catcher in 2033, hitting .325 for the 82-80 Pikemen in the year before they started their current run. The next year he would go on to hit .360 and almost win a batting title, losing to teammate Dusty Rhodes. He has the under-20 record for batting average, and he has not hit below .300 in any year of his career. This year he paces the Johnson League with a .351 average, sixteen points above teammate Mario Guerrer.
"It's very different from when I was a rookie," said Flores. "I didn't speak a lot of English and they ran me out there at 18 years old and told me I was a major leaguer, and I didn't know how to play catcher that good. I was lucky I felt my way through that and I'm lucky now that I'm doing what I'm doing."
Flores is going to be a member of the Pikemen for at least the next three years, as the catcher signed a six year extension with a third-year opt-out for $11 million average per year, seemingly inexpensive for such a productive player. When Flores signed the extension, GM Aaron Weiner had kind words for him.
"It's very hard to point at one player or another and say that they are indispensable, especially on our team which has so many stars." said Weiner. "But to have Francisco Flores, who might be the best catcher in the BBA, on our team makes everything else easier, because there are so few catchers in the history of the BBA who can do what he does."
"I'm a little lucky that Jared Gillstrom's not 27 years old or we wouldn't be having this conversation," Francisco Flores joked. "Seriously, though, it's an honor to be in the discussion for this award."
Flores first made headlines as an 18-year old rookie catcher in 2033, hitting .325 for the 82-80 Pikemen in the year before they started their current run. The next year he would go on to hit .360 and almost win a batting title, losing to teammate Dusty Rhodes. He has the under-20 record for batting average, and he has not hit below .300 in any year of his career. This year he paces the Johnson League with a .351 average, sixteen points above teammate Mario Guerrer.
"It's very different from when I was a rookie," said Flores. "I didn't speak a lot of English and they ran me out there at 18 years old and told me I was a major leaguer, and I didn't know how to play catcher that good. I was lucky I felt my way through that and I'm lucky now that I'm doing what I'm doing."
Flores is going to be a member of the Pikemen for at least the next three years, as the catcher signed a six year extension with a third-year opt-out for $11 million average per year, seemingly inexpensive for such a productive player. When Flores signed the extension, GM Aaron Weiner had kind words for him.
"It's very hard to point at one player or another and say that they are indispensable, especially on our team which has so many stars." said Weiner. "But to have Francisco Flores, who might be the best catcher in the BBA, on our team makes everything else easier, because there are so few catchers in the history of the BBA who can do what he does."