Former Roadrunner Rafael Flores to make MLB debut with Pittsburgh Pirates
PITTSBURGH – Former Rio Hondo College standout Rafael Flores is headed to "The Show." On Tuesday, Flores was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis to join the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball club.
Just hours after being given the news by his manager Shawn Bowman in Indianapolis, Flores flew to Pittsburgh and was in uniform prior to the start of the Pirates' Tuesday night game against the Chicago Cubs. Although he didn't play on Tuesday, Flores is expected to make his MLB debut in Wednesday afternoon's series finale.
Just three years ago, Flores was suiting up for the Roadrunners and Rio Hondo head coach Mike Salazar.
"I'm super proud of him," said Salazar. "Rafael was always positive, self-motivated, a grinder, and worked his way up at whatever level he played at. I love it when hard workers get rewarded. He definitely deserves this."
Flores had an impressive sophomore season for the Roadrunners in 2022 (pictured below). He racked up the postseason honors, as he was named All-State and first-team All-South Coast Conference while also earning the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association (CCCBCA)/Rawlings Gold Glove Award.
In 39 games for the Roadrunners, Flores compiled a .380 batting average, totaled 63 hits, 16 doubles, 9 home runs, and 36 RBI. Following the 2022 season, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Yankees.
Flores went on to work his way up the Yankees' top prospects list. And after a standout 2024 season, he received the team's Kevin Lawn Award as the Yankees' minor league position player of the year. Over 122 games split between High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset, the catcher/first baseman hit .279, slugged .379, had a .495 on-base percentage, and totaled 31 doubles, 21 home runs, and 68 RBI.
This year, Flores was on his way to another impressive season at AA before he was traded from the Yankees to the Pirates in July as part of a deal for New York to acquire all-star pitcher David Bednar.
At the time of his promotion, Flores had a .287 batting average with 27 doubles, 22 home runs, and 88 RBI over 133 games at the AA and AAA levels this season. He is currently rated the Pirates' No. 8 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Flores, originally out of Katella High School in Anaheim, joins another Southern California native as former Roadrunners to reach the majors. Evan Longoria, a member of the 2004 Rio Hondo baseball team, went on to play at Long Beach State before putting together a 16-season career with the Tampa Bay Rays, San Francisco Giants, and Arizona Diamondbacks. He was a three-time MLB All-Star, the 2008 American League Rookie of the Year, and a three-time Gold Glove Award winner.
(Chris Ruiz, Rio Hondo College Athletics)