Kendry Flores is one of the Marlins' seasoned prospects.The 24-year-old caught a glimpse of the big leagues at the end of the 2015 season and could certainly be back up with the Marlins at some point this year. Flores is currently at Triple-A New Orleans. In four starts this season he has posted an ERA of 2.66, walked seven and struck out 17. As Miami's 5th overall prospect, the team has put enough faith in his ability and big league potential. He's proven he can get hitters out through strikeouts and command, now he just needs to prove he can extend his outings and pitch deeper into games.
Over his four starts, Flores has pitched 20 1/3 innings, averaging roughly five innings per start. Flores' ERA is low, therefore he isn't being removed from games due to lack of effectiveness, more so high pitch counts. He throws six pitches and has shown the capability to pile on strikeouts. Strikeouts are fantastic, but they do inflate pitch counts, especially when opposing hitters have six pitches to account for. Flores will have to find a middle ground in the big leagues. Major league hitters are generally very particular in pitch selection, for this reason Flores' top two pitches will be of utmost importance to command. (Editor's Note: Flores has not struck out more than 19 percent of batters in the minors since coming to Miami, so he's not exactly piling up K's. Could his pitch counts be higher for other reasons as well? -MJ)
The main deterrent for Flores has been his fastball velocity. The young Dominican was drafted at the young age of 16. He entered professional baseball tossing his fastball at around 87 mph, but has now increased it to a consistent 91-92. Another common knock on Flores was his vulnerability in giving up the home run ball. Key word "was". He managed to go his entire 12 2/3 innings with the Marlins last season without allowing a home run, and has only given up one in over 20 innings this season. Marlins Park is a known pitcher's ballpark, that will bode well for Flores. In fact three of the five teams in their division play in pitcher's ballparks.
The Marlins need starting rotation help. Miami currently ranks 24th in baseball in starter's ERA. As long as he stays healthy, the Marlins have a long time ace in Jose Fernandez. But every spot after Fernandez is up in the air. A few of Miami's top prospects are starting pitchers. Tyler Kolek is one of them, however he is a long ways away from a big league debut. The Marlins wish the time was now for Kendry Flores, but in reality the time is near. The team likely won't be in contention to make the playoffs this season. Just like nearly all Marlin's prospects, there is no rush for Flores. Expect him to be a back-end starter for the Marlins at some point this season, but probably not until July or August. At 24, it's about time he breaks through to the Major Leagues.