Wilmer Flores off to Another Great Start in an Odd-Year

Stats and rankings taken prior to first pitch on April 21.

Heading into 2025, Wilmer Flores wasn’t necessarily at the top of Giants fan’s minds when it came to impact bats.

After an abysmal, injury-riddled 2024 season, many thought that his time in San Francisco might have run its course. However, fans forgot — or overlooked — that Flores was never healthy. Now that he’s back to full strength, he’s flipping the script.

In 2025, Flores has been placed in a more protective and focused role. Manager Bob Melvin has been vocal about the importance of keeping Flores off his legs, giving him the majority of the at-bats as the club’s designated hitter.

The decision is already paying off. Not only is Wilmer healthy, but he’s quickly becoming one of the Giants’ most clutch and reliable bats in the early weeks of the season.

Big Moments and Big Production From Wilmer Flores

Flores wasted no time making his comeback known. On Opening Day in Cincinnati, he blasted a go-ahead, three-run home run to seal a ninth-inning comeback and help set the tone for the entire season.

Since that game, Flores has only delivered more and more in high-pressure moments. In the following days, he added a walk-off single against the Mariners and a game-tying home run in the eighth inning against Cincinnati, silencing the Reds once again.

As of April 21, Flores is tied with Kyle Tucker for third in MLB with 23 RBIs, sitting only behind Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso. That’s some pretty good company.

He’s also launched six home runs already, which is two more than his total during the entirety of 2024. His 90 wRC+ is bogged down by his low on-base numbers, as he is hitting just .203 with a .250 OBP. However, his .430 slugging percentage and .228 Isolated Power shows his value of being a productive power bat so far.

The power is back. The clutch factor never left. And Flores, once again, is exceeding expectations in a role tailored to let him thrive.

Odd-Year Wilmer Is Here

Here’s where things get a little weird, in the best way possible. San Francisco built their dynasty on even-year success, winning World Series titles in 2010, 2012, and 2014. However, Flores seems to be living on an alternate timeline.

Throughout his career (excluding a cup of coffee in 2013), Flores has been significantly better in odd-numbered years. Just take a look at the table below and see for yourself:

It’s not a coincidence, either. Recent seasons exaggerate the contrast even more. The last two years could not have been more different in terms of production for the veteran.

In 2023, Flores was arguably the best hitter for the Giants. He slashed .284/.355/.509 with career highs in home runs (23), wRC+ (134), and fWAR (2.3).

On the other side of things, just a year later, 2024 was the worst season of his career. He slashed .206/.277/.318 with only four home runs and an fWAR of -0.7.

Even if you went back to 2021 — another odd season — Flores was a major contributor for the scrapyard Giants team that surprised the league and won 107 games. He was quietly consistent that season, posting the second-best fWAR of his career (1.9) and launching 18 home runs.

Flash forward to 2025 — yes, another odd year — and history seems to be repeating itself. The Giants are one of the hottest teams in baseball, and Flores looks back to his healthy self. The numbers, the moments, and the vibes all line up, and he’s helping spark this hot start for the San Francisco Giants.

A Spark for a Hot Team

With the Giants off to their best start since 2003, Flores’ hot bat and veteran leadership have been key ingredients to the organization’s early success. While the team is chasing more of that 2021 magic, it’s only fitting that one of the few players remaining from that team is right in the middle of it.

Flores has never been the face of a franchise, but in odd years, he may just be the heartbeat of its success. If history tells us anything, this is just the beginning of a big season for Flores.