Let's start with the bad news. That's what readers want, right? It is 2020, so here goes nothing.
Wilmer Flores went just 1-for-7 in the Giants' all-important exhibition wins over the A's before the regular season begins. Two wins, one hit.
OK, on to the good news. This is about to be a long list.
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SIGN UP HERE Since Farhan Zaidi took over as the Giants' president of baseball operations in November 2018, he has signed just one player to a multi-year contract. That honor belongs to Flores. But his name hardly gets mentioned as Giants fans get ready for Opening Day. That needs to change.
The talk of the town has belonged to such storylines as Johnny Cueto's health, Gabe Kapler's managerial style, the return of Hunter Pence, the many positions of Mauricio Dubon, the power of Alex Dickerson and Jaylin Davis, and, of course, the eventual debut of Joey Bart. Flores has become the Forgotten Giant in this bizarre offseason. Soon, that should change.
First and foremost, fans and the pitching staff alone should be ecstatic Flores now plays in San Francisco. He was the Giants' worst nightmare in 2019, batting .583 with three home runs, three doubles and five RBI in eight games against the Giants. If you can't beat him, sign him.
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Flores didn't just dominate the Giants, though. He was a problem for the rest of the NL West as well. He hit .280 with one homer against the Los Angeles Dodgers and .474 with a homer against the Colorado Rockies while also hitting .250 against the San Diego Padres. As a powerful right-handed bat for the Arizona Diamondbacks last year, Flores hit .344 with seven homers and 30 RBI in 68 games played in NL West ballparks.
And yet, his name often doesn't even come to mind for fans when constructing a Giants lineup.
But get used to seeing his name in Kapler’s lineup. Overall, Flores, 28, hit a career-high .317 with nine long balls and an .848 OPS in 89 games for Arizona. He also fits the buzzword of the Giants -- versatility.
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In 2019, Flores only played second and first base. In his seven-year career, however, he has played all around the infield at an almost even distribution. He has 165 games at second base, 162 at shortstop, 155 at first base and 143 at third. Flores started both exhibition games at third base, and is likely to do so on Opening Day against the Dodgers with Evan Longoria rehabbing an oblique strain.
It also doesn't hurt that Flores has some success against the first pitcher the Giants will face, Clayton Kershaw. While it's not a huge sample size, Flores does have a .313 career batting average against the Dodgers ace, going 5-for-16 with one homer. The Giants will face three lefties -- Kershaw, Alex Wood and Julio Urias -- against the Dodgers in their opening series, and that bodes well for Flores, who hit .337 with seven homers and a .982 OPS agaisnt southpaws last season. He also wasn't a slouch against right-handers, hitting .304 with two homers and .762 OPS.
Kapler has a veteran in Flores who can play any position in the infield, and brings a powerful right-handed bat. That always is valuable. It becomes even more so when that player dominated your team the year before.
In what is primed to be a weird, wild sprint of a season, Giants fans should get used to seeing a lot of Wilmer Flores.