Just Mets

Players talk about being comfortable and confident as being keys to success during the grind of the 162-game season.

And, while Wilmer Flores showed at times over the first half of the season he could be a productive offensive player, he mostly struggled with consistency at the plate while never feeling totally comfortable at shortstop, an experiment the Mets were hoping would be fruitful and provide a much needed answer at a premium position.

So last week, the Mets shifted Flores to second base after activating Daniel Murphy from the disabled list, a position Terry Collins felt the young infielder was, “outstanding” at towards the end of the 2014 season.

That word may not be the best way to describe Flores’ defense, considering the metrics suggest he’s been a slightly below average second baseman at this level, and the range issues he had at shortstop aren’t going to suddenly disappear just because he’s playing on the other side of second base.

But there’s no question Flores’ weaknesses are better protected at second base, and having Ruben Tejada at shortstop also helps to do that as well.

As the the club’s series against the Dodgers opened in Los Angeles on Friday night, Flores was in the midst of his deepest struggles of the season to-date, as he had seen his average dip to .233 for the year.

Three games later, he’s hitting .258.

Flores went 4-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI during Sunday’s 8-0 win over the Dodgers. He went and astounding 10-for-13 at Dodger Stadium over the weekend, a huge reason for their much-needed series win over the National League West leading Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

Collins attributes Flores’ resurgence at the plate to being more comfortable in the field.

“No question,” Collins said. “He’s happy to be there. He loves second base.”

Flores downplayed the significance of being more comfortable at second base as a reason for his surge offensively.

“I don’t think it has anything to do with it,” Flores said.

But Collins also noted Flores is handling pitches on the outer half better, taking what he’s being given the other way.

“He’s hitting the ball to right field. He’s not trying to pull things,” Collins explained of Flores’ improvements offensively. “They’re pitching him away and he’s taking hits the other way. Certainly that’s what the good hitters have to do.”

Flores has now hit in four straight games after going 2-for-20 in his previous six games.