Rafael Flores has become one of my favorite prospects to talk about in the Yankees’ farm system, as the undrafted catcher has been a power machine with Somerset. Typically the jump from High-A to Double-A comes with adjustments, especially for someone playing their second year of pro ball, and while his profile still needs some sharpening, Flores has shown an incredible ability to generate high exit velocities and do damage on contact. With home runs in four of his last five games, he’s increased his total on the season to 21, crushing his season total from last year.
One of the few true breakouts on the farm this season for the Yankees, Rafael Flores is rocketing through Double-A with an exciting set of skills.
Power-Hitting Rafael Flores Rising Through Yankees’ Farm System
What immediately stands out about Rafael Flores’ profile is that he’s finally translated his excellent raw power into game power, hitting multiple baseballs over 110 MPH including a home run this past week at 112 MPH. Driving the baseball with authority is one thing, but consistently getting it in the air and pulling it are important ways to maximize your output. Last season, the California-born catcher hit just eight home runs with a .366 SLG%, but he’d make key swing changes to improve his offensive profile.
His groundball rate went up in High-A from last season, but after a promotion to Double-A, we would see Rafael Flores start to lift the ball more in the air.
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A slight decrease in line drive rate is a price worth paying for the dramatic decrease in groundball rate, and seeing his pull rate increase as well is an excellent sign. His game power has exploded as a result, as his SLG% and ISO have increased by roughly 80 points each. It’s not as if Somerset is a bandbox either, as it’s boasted the fourth-worst OPS among the 12 ballparks in the Eastern League
Hitting the ball hard is important, but so is making contact, and while we’ve seen Flores’ strikeout rate go up since the promotion, it’s starting to come back down as he’s adjusting to his new swing. Over his last 20 games, not only has Flores crushed six home runs, but he’s also struck out just 20.5% of the time. As the contact rates improve, I expect to see Rafael Flores’ stock rise, and we’ve seen the Yankees push prospects aggressively when they hit their Key Performance Indicators.
I don’t imagine that we’ll see Rafael Flores in Triple-A before the season’s end since the Yankees would likely want to develop him as a catcher more, and that’s a huge part of his value. Baseball Prospectus grades him out as a positive defender:
- +1.5 Catching Defensive Adjustment
- +2.3 Framing Runs
- +1.6 Defensive Runs Prevented
He’s been a good defender, not a great one, but that’s enough to stick behind the plate in an organization where developing defense is a plus. Few organizations get the defensive production that the Yankees do at that position under Tanner Swanson, and he could be an interesting catching option alongside Austin Wells.
Catchers rarely play 162 games, with JT Realmuto (130) and Cal Raleigh (121) leading their respective leagues in games played as a catcher last season. Some catchers with an excellent bat like Adley Rutschman play roughly 105-110 of their games at catcher and then get reps at DH to keep them in the lineup but off the field, and perhaps the Yankees experiment with that as the years go on.
Rafael Flores does not have to be placed on the Yankees’ 40-man roster this offseason so they don’t have to view him as an MLB catcher just yet, especially since Carlos Narvaez is still here and is a capable MiLB depth guy. Flores does have some experience at first base, and considering just how bad that position has been for the Yankees this year, we could see him in that conversation at some point in 2025.
With a 153 wRC+ and 15 home runs thus far in Somerset, Rafael Flores has been one of the top hitters in the Eastern League, and the Yankees might have found a gem. He was an undrafted free agent out of Rio Honda, a community college in California, and there’s going to be a ton of buzz around him over the winter. With a powerful swing that’s finally starting to click and a sound glove behind the plate, the Yankees could have a solid Major League contributor in the making.