Say hello to the new “Kid” on the block.The Cyclones often call in young reinforcements for end-of-season playoff drives, but this time they really robbed the cradle when they called up shortstop Wilmer Flores on Aug. 28.

Flores, a Venezuelan, is just a month over 17, making him the youngest Cyclone ever.

He may be young, but this is a kid with major league potential — and the Mets know it, signing Flores as a free agent on his 16th birthday last Aug. 6, the earliest possible date allowed.

This season, the budding star played most of the year in Kingsport, where he hit .310 in 59 games, with 36 runs, 41 RBI. 12 doubles, four triples, and eight home runs. He added a pair of steals.

At 6-foot-3 and only 175 pounds, Flores appears athletic, but still boyishly thin.

He has a young face and still wears braces on his teeth, so he appears like a high school junior or senior. But he hits and fields like a professional.

In his debut on Aug. 28, Flores went 3-for-4 and has taken over as the regular Brooklyn shortstop, batting .348 in six games, with eight hits, a double, a run scored and an RBI.

Cyclones manager Edgar Alfonzo was cautious in his praise for this blue chip prospect.

“He’s playing well, catching the ball and swinging the bat,” said the skipper, seemingly wanting to keep the pressure off his young phenom.

In a recent press interview, conducted with the help of a translator, Flores shared his thoughts on a variety of topics.

“I always dreamed of playing professional ball,” he said. “But I never thought I could have played professionally at this level at 17.”

Flores then credited his passion for the game for his early success.

“When I was younger, I had a love for the game, and I love it even more now, and my love for baseball has allowed me to improve.”

Although Flores played one game for the Class A (full season) Savannah Sand Gnats before being assigned to the Cyclones, he spent most of the season at Kingsport, the step on the minor league ladder before Brooklyn, and he analyzed the difference in pitching.

“Down there [Kingsport], they will throw you a lot of fastballs, but up here they throw fastballs, curveballs, and change-ups, all mixed in.”

Flores noticed that his teammates were different as well.

“Over here, there are more veterans, and down in Kingsport the players are younger.”

But the youngster welcomes the influence of his new, older teammates.

“I’m just here to learn,” he said. “It’s good for me to be around older players because I can learn a lot from them.”

Flores may still be growing taller, and he will put on weight, so he could grow out of playing shortstop, and anyway, Jose Reyes will be standing between second and third for the Mets for at least a decade.

Yet Flores is content to play shortstop for now.

“Right now, I’m playing shortstop and that’s what I’m going to play,” he said diplomatically. “In the future, what ever will be, that will happen.”

He’s highly rated as a hitter, with a short stroke, and he should develop more power as he grows.

He’s a smooth fielder, and a decent runner, but not a speedster.

He could help Brooklyn to the playoffs, and help the Mets in the future.

He has a fine attitude, and untapped potential, so he won’t be at Brooklyn long (remember Scott Kazmir?!).

Enjoy Wilmer Flores in Brooklyn while you can.

©2008 Community Newspaper Group