During Spring Training, Nationals general manager Jim Bowden told the media that he never had a successful Rule 5 Draft pick. Bowden's last Rule 5 pick to play in the big leagues prior to this season was infielder/outfielder Tony Blanco, and the results were less than dynamic. Blanco had problems with both his bat and glove while playing 56 games for Washington in 2005.
But Bowden's luck changed in 2007, thanks to catcher Jesus Flores. The original plan was to hide Flores on the Major League roster and then send him to Double-A Harrisburg in '08 to develop his skills.
That's not going to happen now, because Flores has been a pleasant surprise this season. Flores has appeared in 70 games, and he's hitting .255, with four home runs and 23 RBIs as the Nats' primary backup catcher.
The only time Flores has not played well is when he's faced the Mets, the team that left him unprotected last December. He's 1-for-9 with an RBI against them. Flores desperately wants to show New York that it made a mistake in letting him go.
"I try to do more than I can do. I feel a little pressure," Flores said. "I feel like they know me. That's why I want to show them that they gave me away."
Flores, 22, is having success in the big leagues, even though he hadn't played above Class A ball. Last season, he played for the Class A Port St. Lucie Mets and hit 21 home runs, despite playing with a bad thumb.
One would think that Flores would be overwhelmed once he set foot on a big league field, but he decided to play mind games with himself.
"When I arrived here, I said, 'Well, let's try to be an older man, like I've been here for a long time.'" Flores said. "I just try to help myself and prepare to play at this level. That's all I've been doing."
Bowden said that Flores could compete for a platoon role or an everyday spot in the near future. The only question is when. The GM is hoping that playing in the Arizona Fall League and the Venezuelan Winter League in the offseason will help Flores make up the at-bats that he missed in the big leagues.
"He has not been a Triple-A guy or a Double-A guy or a Rule 5 guy," Bowden said. "He has held his own up here."
None of Flores' success would have been possible without the help of bench coach Pat Corrales, who is like a father ordering his kid to do his homework on a daily basis. Under Corrales' tutelage, Flores can often be found watching video on opposing hitters or on the field working on his catching skills before games.
Take Sept. 4, for instance, a day after Flores made two errors, because he was unable to catch two popups against the Marlins. Flores arrived in the Nationals' clubhouse around 2 p.m. ET. Corrales spotted him and said, "Get dressed. We have to get to work."
Corrales, along with manager Manny Acta, worked with Flores on popups for half an hour.
"There is no doubt about it, Pat has been amazing with me," Flores said. "There are days when we work on blocking balls and throwing to the bases."
Corrales said recently that he's pleased with the way his pupil has progressed.
"He's a talented young man," Corrales said. "He's very smart. He has a good arm. He has bat speed. He is very coachable. We give him the game plan, [and] he follows it very well."


"He has not been a Triple-A guy or a Double-A guy or a Rule 5 guy. He has held his own up here." -- Nationals general manager Jim Bowden, on Jesus Flores
A year ago, no one would have thought Flores would be in the big leagues so quickly. He was languishing in the Mets' farm system. But it took a scouting report from Davey Johnson to pry him loose from the organization.
Almost two months before the trade deadline in 2006, the Nats hired Johnson to be a part-time consultant. His job was to evaluate other teams' prospects who could be acquired for veterans such as Jose Guillen, Jose Vidro and Livan Hernandez.
A couple of week later, Johnson went down to Port St. Lucie, Fla., to visit his good friend, Gary Carter, who was managing the Mets' Class A team there, and scout some players in the Dodgers organization.
During one game, Johnson had his eye on Port St. Lucie's designated hitter, which was Flores. What caught Johnson's eye was how Flores could hit breaking balls.
"He hit a really good curveball," Johnson said. "He hit a long fly ball to right-center. He stayed with the ball. "He didn't get fooled on the breaking stuff."
Johnson sent his report on Flores back to Bowden. While no deal was consummated between the Nats and Mets before the deadline, Washington was able to pick up Flores in a different way on Dec. 7.
To the surprise of many in the Nationals' front office, the Mets left Flores unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft. According to general manager Omar Minaya, the Mets didn't feel anyone would take Flores, because he was underdeveloped as a player -- or so they thought. In fact, Minaya told Acta and Bowden that no young catcher taken in the Rule 5 Draft had been kept on the Major League roster all season long.
"We liked him, we thought he was a prospect," Minaya said. "The year before, he did not have a good year. Last year, he ended up having a good year. We felt that he was a kid who was developing and would have a chance to be in Major Leagues. But we didn't like him enough to put him on the 40-man roster."
But the Nats liked him enough to take Flores in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft, thanks to Johnson's recommendation. Now, Flores is considered part of the team's future.
"As far as Jesus' ability, he has the ability to compete for a backup role, to platoon or win the job at some point," Bowden said.
The Official Site of The Washington Nationals: News: Washington Nationals News