Rafael Flores Jr. (born November 7, 2000) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2025.
| Rafael Flores Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Pirates – No. 43 | |
| Catcher / First baseman | |
| Born: November 7, 2000 Anaheim, California, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 17, 2025, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics (through June 11, 2026) | |
| Batting average | .278 |
| Home runs | 1 |
| Runs batted in | 2 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
Career
editNew York Yankees
editFlores attended Katella High School in Anaheim, California, and Rio Hondo College.[1] He went unselected in the 2022 MLB draft. While he played collegiate summer baseball for the Alaska Goldpanners, the New York Yankees signed Flores to a professional contract in July 2022.[2]
After signing, Flores appeared in four games for the FCL Yankees in the 2022 season. He played for the Hudson Valley Renegades in 2023[3] and for Hudson Valley and the Somerset Patriots in 2024.[1] Baseball America named Flores the Yankees' Minor League Player of the Year for 2024.[4]
Pittsburgh Pirates
editOn July 31, 2025, the Yankees traded Flores, Edgleen Perez, and Brian Sanchez to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for David Bednar.[5] In 36 appearances for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, he batted .281/.363/.459 with six home runs and 28 runs batted in (RBI).[6] On September 16, Flores was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[7] He made his major league debut the following day, recording his first hit.[8] Flores made seven total appearances for Pittsburgh, going 3-for-15 (.200) with two walks.
Flores was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis to begin the 2026 season.[9]
References
edit- 1 2 Johnson, Greg (2024-07-05). "From JUCO to the pros: Rafael Flores making early impression in Yankees organization". Trentonian. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
- ↑ Olsen, Jeff (July 22, 2022). "Goldpanners' Rafael Flores to sign with Yankees organization". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
- ↑ "Robo Flo: Rafael Flores forged new path in first full pro season". Minor League Baseball.
- ↑ Haynes, Stephen. "Six current and former Renegades players, and a coach, tabbed for Arizona Fall League". Poughkeepsie Journal.
- ↑ Hoch, Bryan (July 31, 2025). "Yanks overhaul 'pen with Bednar, Doval and Bird trades". mlb.com. MLB.com. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ↑ McDonald, Darragh (September 16, 2025). "Pirates Select Rafael Flores". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
- ↑ https://triblive.com/sports/pirates-select-contract-of-c-1b-rafael-flores-acquired-from-yankees-in-david-bednar-trade/
- ↑ https://triblive.com/sports/pirates-rafael-flores-gives-glimpse-of-hard-hitting-future-on-1st-major-league-hit/
- ↑ "Pirates Make Big List of Spring Training Roster Cuts". si.com. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB · ESPN · Baseball Reference · Fangraphs · Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet