Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog
Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2017 3:42 pm
Flores Fills First Aurora Offseason Need
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger
December 6, 2025: Aurora, Colorado - When Aurora drafted Villanova CF Mike Hale with the 3rd overall selection in the 2017 draft, they had hoped to have their CF needs covered for a long, long time. But after 7 seasons as the Borealis' starting CF, Hale has decided that he wanted a bit too much money for a contract extension - and Aurora decided that money could be better spent elsewhere, and thus the Borealis looked elsewhere for a CF.
That CF comes in the form of Duluth, where soon-to-be 26-year old Tomás Flores finds himself moving from the sandy beaches of Minnesota lakes to The Front Range - joining the team that knocked his former-Warrior mates out of the 2025 chase for the Rodriguez Cup. He brings with him a fourth round draft choice, while SP Eric Perkins and 2B Harley Schneider head north to the 'Land of 10,000 Lakes'.
Hale will be replaced by a player with a similar pedigree - Flores was the 6th overall selection by Duluth in 2021, out of Rice University, where he was a 3-time USCBA All-Star and the 2019 College Player of the year, hitting .433 with 18 HR and 60 RBI - and that's what he brings to the plate that Aurora is looking to improve on - power, something Hale lacked. Flores hit well over .400 his first three seasons at Rice and finished his career at .414, with 54 HR and 208 RBI. He also had 38 SB, so he'll fit in well there, too.
After two mostly successful seasons in the minors, Tomás became the starting CF for the Warriors, hitting .275 his rookie season and .289 last year, with 22 HR and 27 SB. One area Aurora hopes he improves upon is putting the ball in play, as he registered 120 K, which would be tops on Aurora by a large margin (20% more than Pedro Ferrigno's 102). Flores is an excellent defender in CF - maybe just a hair below Hales abilities, but just a hair, but whereas Hale is comfortable across the board, Flores has really only been a CF during his career, and would be best suited to stay there. Tomás should be an excellent addition to the clubhouse - a hard-working dude, who has been described as a model citizen on the bench and field - the kind of guy Aurora could use as the next wave of youngsters begins to arrive in the next season or two.
Flores finished 9th in the SL in average, 5th in hits (right behind River Pope), 6th in runs (just ahead of Carlisle), and 7th in WAR - not a bad season at all. Best of all, from the financial picture - always a concern for the high-salaried Borealis, Flores is still on his league minimum contract and won't be arbitration eligible until after 2026.
In losing Hale, Aurora will miss out on a guy with a .267 career average and 257 SB - through that number was depressed over the past two seasons as Octavio Rios seemed disinclined to run much. Hale led the league in SB in 2021 with 62 and set a then-PEBA record with 14 triples in 2022.
Perkins was the 44th overall pick in the 2016 draft and spent significant time at AAA before finally getting a shot in 2023. His best season was last year where he was 7-4 with a 3.40 ERA in 20 starts. This past season he showed signs of improvement, but for every step-forward he seemed to take on back. His 11-6, 4.46 and 28 HR in 28 starts put the 30-year old on the GM's hot seat.
Schneider is a more interesting case. He was drafted by Aurora in 2017 in the 13th round and shortly thereafter was released, signing a minor league deal with Kentucky prior to the start of the 2018 season. He was a Rule 5 pick by then-PEBA member Charleston and after a .236 season in 2023, he was released. The Borealis picked him up just before the September 1 roster deadline, and in 31 games (30 starts) he hit .308. He looked a cinch to be a starter in 2025, but a poor spring and an even poorer 98 game stretch with the Borealis saw him with a .199 average. Despite 10 HR and 41 RBI, the Borealis deemed him expendable if the right deal came through.
Flores will likely fill the line-up spot that Hale held - barring the development of his splits - Hale and Ferringo traded #2 and #9 spots v. righties and lefties - though both hit righties better. The acquisition of Flores will allow River Pope to continue to play left field and occasionally play center to provide off days for Flores.
With Perkins gone, for now it looks like 'Terror' will get the first crack at the #5 spot - though who knows what other tricks The Boy Wonder GM may have up his sleeves. This off-season has already been a busy one across the League. Schneider's departure will, for now, keep Gabe McIntyre in the fold. With Medrano having a solid season and Britt a fixture at 3B, McIntyre and Giles will likely be battling it out for a starting infield position - be it 2B or SS, with Boswell taking the other spot.
Then again... We may be discussing other options in the near future...
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger
December 6, 2025: Aurora, Colorado - When Aurora drafted Villanova CF Mike Hale with the 3rd overall selection in the 2017 draft, they had hoped to have their CF needs covered for a long, long time. But after 7 seasons as the Borealis' starting CF, Hale has decided that he wanted a bit too much money for a contract extension - and Aurora decided that money could be better spent elsewhere, and thus the Borealis looked elsewhere for a CF.
That CF comes in the form of Duluth, where soon-to-be 26-year old Tomás Flores finds himself moving from the sandy beaches of Minnesota lakes to The Front Range - joining the team that knocked his former-Warrior mates out of the 2025 chase for the Rodriguez Cup. He brings with him a fourth round draft choice, while SP Eric Perkins and 2B Harley Schneider head north to the 'Land of 10,000 Lakes'.
Hale will be replaced by a player with a similar pedigree - Flores was the 6th overall selection by Duluth in 2021, out of Rice University, where he was a 3-time USCBA All-Star and the 2019 College Player of the year, hitting .433 with 18 HR and 60 RBI - and that's what he brings to the plate that Aurora is looking to improve on - power, something Hale lacked. Flores hit well over .400 his first three seasons at Rice and finished his career at .414, with 54 HR and 208 RBI. He also had 38 SB, so he'll fit in well there, too.
After two mostly successful seasons in the minors, Tomás became the starting CF for the Warriors, hitting .275 his rookie season and .289 last year, with 22 HR and 27 SB. One area Aurora hopes he improves upon is putting the ball in play, as he registered 120 K, which would be tops on Aurora by a large margin (20% more than Pedro Ferrigno's 102). Flores is an excellent defender in CF - maybe just a hair below Hales abilities, but just a hair, but whereas Hale is comfortable across the board, Flores has really only been a CF during his career, and would be best suited to stay there. Tomás should be an excellent addition to the clubhouse - a hard-working dude, who has been described as a model citizen on the bench and field - the kind of guy Aurora could use as the next wave of youngsters begins to arrive in the next season or two.
Flores finished 9th in the SL in average, 5th in hits (right behind River Pope), 6th in runs (just ahead of Carlisle), and 7th in WAR - not a bad season at all. Best of all, from the financial picture - always a concern for the high-salaried Borealis, Flores is still on his league minimum contract and won't be arbitration eligible until after 2026.
In losing Hale, Aurora will miss out on a guy with a .267 career average and 257 SB - through that number was depressed over the past two seasons as Octavio Rios seemed disinclined to run much. Hale led the league in SB in 2021 with 62 and set a then-PEBA record with 14 triples in 2022.
Perkins was the 44th overall pick in the 2016 draft and spent significant time at AAA before finally getting a shot in 2023. His best season was last year where he was 7-4 with a 3.40 ERA in 20 starts. This past season he showed signs of improvement, but for every step-forward he seemed to take on back. His 11-6, 4.46 and 28 HR in 28 starts put the 30-year old on the GM's hot seat.
Schneider is a more interesting case. He was drafted by Aurora in 2017 in the 13th round and shortly thereafter was released, signing a minor league deal with Kentucky prior to the start of the 2018 season. He was a Rule 5 pick by then-PEBA member Charleston and after a .236 season in 2023, he was released. The Borealis picked him up just before the September 1 roster deadline, and in 31 games (30 starts) he hit .308. He looked a cinch to be a starter in 2025, but a poor spring and an even poorer 98 game stretch with the Borealis saw him with a .199 average. Despite 10 HR and 41 RBI, the Borealis deemed him expendable if the right deal came through.
Flores will likely fill the line-up spot that Hale held - barring the development of his splits - Hale and Ferringo traded #2 and #9 spots v. righties and lefties - though both hit righties better. The acquisition of Flores will allow River Pope to continue to play left field and occasionally play center to provide off days for Flores.
With Perkins gone, for now it looks like 'Terror' will get the first crack at the #5 spot - though who knows what other tricks The Boy Wonder GM may have up his sleeves. This off-season has already been a busy one across the League. Schneider's departure will, for now, keep Gabe McIntyre in the fold. With Medrano having a solid season and Britt a fixture at 3B, McIntyre and Giles will likely be battling it out for a starting infield position - be it 2B or SS, with Boswell taking the other spot.
Then again... We may be discussing other options in the near future...