Rafael Flores Jr. has already said he's willing to die if it helps the Pirates win. That's how much he cares.
In a game against the Royals on Sep. 20, Flores hit a go-ahead home run off Nate Pearson to give the Pirates a win.
Pearson brushed Flores off the plate with a 98 mph four-seam fastball. The Pirates catcher held his ground and clobbered a two-run home run to left on the next pitch, turning a one-run deficit into a 4-3 lead. It was the best case scenario, especially given the alternative that was in his mind.
"I told myself, 'I will die in this situation. If he throws one more fastball up and in. I'm gonna stick my nose in it.,'" Flores said after the game. "He threw me a slider right in the honey hole. Just couldn't miss it."
Flores was acquired by the Pirates at the 2025 trade deadline along with two others in a deal that sent closer David Bednar to the Yankees.
General manager Ben Cherington stated that while the Pirates had offers for prospects who were more-highly regarded than Flores was at the time, they chose the package that included him.
"I was told that they specifically asked for me and that they wanted a hitting catcher," said Flores. "That was awesome. I was happy to be here."
The Yankees were the only organization Flores had ever known up to that point. He signed with New York as an undrafted free agent out of Rio Hondo College in July 2022.
Nearly three years to the day after signing his first professional contract, Flores was unexpectedly traded to the Pirates. But hearing the faith his new organization had in him made the transition easier.
"It definitely helped," Flores said. "Getting traded is a weird situation and the fact that I was wanted and specifically asked for is a big deal. It made me a lot more comfortable."
Flores made his MLB debut at the end of last season but took on a much larger role this year.
When Endy Rodríguez suffered a season-ending hip injury on the injured list on July 8, Flores was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis.
When he was called up, Flores wasn't in the midst of a great season offensively. But the 25-year-old emerged as a key contributor in the Pirates lineup in the final few months of the season. He finished the year with a robust .264/.331/.527 batting line with 11 home runs and 25 RBI in 47 games.
"Just keeping it simple. Less is more," Flores said of his offensive approach. "I think it's easy to go out there and let yourself get big and have that young mentality of just trying to ambush stuff. But I think once you buy into an approach and you stick with it, it normally turns out to be better than what you expected."
While Flores has been known for his offense for much of his professional career, he took some strides defensively. Opponents were successful in all 12 stolen bases attempts through the nine games Flores was behind the plate to start the year. But Flores recorded his first-career caught stealing on Aug. 13 in Miami and gunned down nearly a quarter of attempted base stealers to end the season (7 for 29).
"To myself, I'm a defensive player," he said. "I want to be a defensive player. I want to be known for that."
While Flores improved behind the plate as the season went on, he'll be the first to tell you he wants to get even better. The goal? Be someone pitchers "want to throw to every single day."
"I'm gonna work hard to just continuously improve, especially throwing, blocking, receiving and calling games," explained Flores. "Defense isn't just one thing, it's a variety of things and I want to be good at all of them. I just want to be a complete player."
Flores' emergence this season was a nice surprise for the Pirates. He started the year as the fourth catcher on the depth chart but heads into next year in a strong position to be the team's primary backstop.
Even with the year he had, Flores isn't getting complacent.
"I'm glad I've been able to show what I'm capable of and what's to come. Now it's just a matter of staying consistent and producing every single day."
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