I’m still holding out hope the Mets willer-sign Daniel Murphy. In the unfortunately likely event Murphy leaves the Mets, Wilmer Flores is ready to take his place. 

When Murphy was first called up he was placed in LF and played there until he showed he couldn’t. Being blocked at the positions he plays better, he learned how to play shortstop. Ironically, it was Murphy’s presence at second that lead the Mets to try Flores at shortstop. 

Murphy played second and Flores plays short because the organization believed in their bats. Unfortunately, neither player plays very well in their new middle infield positions. As a result, the Mets moved them off the position for stretches of time whenever they could. A big part of the reason is both players had early on problems turning the double play. For Murphy, it was first and third. For Flores, it was second. As a result, the two players have become versatile even if their real value to the Mets is their weakest defensive position.

Because they are forced to play out of position, the Mets have seemingly been constantly trying to find an upgrade over them. Much like Murphy at second, the Mets have been unsuccessful in finding a better long term shortstop option for Flores. Additionally, both players have been rumored to be moved by the Mets. Somewhat surprisingly, Flores was closer to getting traded than Murphy ever was.  

Finally, both are fan favorites. For Murphy, it started with his heroicsin 2008, and it continued with his hard work and play ever since. For Flores, it was him crying on the field after he thought he was traded. These two fan favorites were the double play combination for a pennant winning Mets team. 

Sadly, the main difference between these two players isn’t Murphy batting lefty and Flores batting righty, it may be the team they play on in 2016. I still think it’s in the Mets best interest to keep them both in 2016, but I don’t work for the front office. If Murphy has truly been pushed out the door, Flores has some mighty big shoes to fill. 

If he matches Murphy’s hard work and dedication, he will. I believe Flores can and will.