Rafael Flores Jr.

CActive

Bats/Throws: R/RAge: 25Born: Anaheim, CA, United StatesDebut: Sep 17, 2025Draft: 2022

Rafael Flores Jr. is a catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Flores was born on November 7, 2000 in Anaheim, CA, United States and debuted in the major leagues on September 17, 2025. Flores bats right and throws right. In 2026, Flores is batting .264 with 11 home runs, 25 RBI and an OPS of .858 in 47 games. MLBDB has 2 seasons of statistics for Flores, from 2025 to 2026.

HR112026 season

RBI252026 season

OPS.8582026 season

Seasons2Pittsburgh Pirates

Hitting

2 seasons of hitting across 1 club. Season totals, oldest first. The team shown identifies the player's club when the totals were recorded.

Rafael Flores Jr., season by season hittingRegular season, oldest first
Season	Team	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2025PIT	PITPittsburgh	7	17	15	0	3	2	0	0	0	0	2	7	.200	.294	.333	.627
2026PIT	PITPittsburgh	47	163	148	17	39	6	0	11	25	0	15	45	.264	.331	.527	.858

G: Games played in any role, including games spent only pitching or running the bases.
PA: Plate appearances. Completed turns at the plate, including walks, hit-by-pitches and sacrifices.
AB: At bats. Plate appearances that count toward batting average; walks, hit-by-pitches, sacrifices and catcher's interference are left out.
R: Runs scored.
H: Hits.
2B: Doubles.
3B: Triples.
HR: Home runs.
RBI: Runs batted in.
SB: Stolen bases.
BB: Walks, including intentional walks.
SO: Strikeouts.
AVG: Batting average. Formula: H ÷ AB.
OBP: On-base percentage. Formula: (H + BB + HBP) ÷ (AB + BB + HBP + SF).
SLG: Slugging percentage, total bases per at bat. Formula: TB ÷ AB.
OPS: On-base plus slugging. Formula: OBP + SLG.

Rafael Flores Jr., expanded hitting by seasonRegular season, oldest first
Season	Team	1B	TB	CS	SB%	HBP	IBB	SH	SF	GIDP	GO/AO	LOB	AB/HR	BB/K
2025PIT	PITPittsburgh	1	5	0	N/A	0	0	0	0	0	4.00	9	N/A	0.29
2026PIT	PITPittsburgh	22	78	0	N/A	0	1	0	0	2	1.06	68	13.45	0.33

1B: Singles. Formula: H − 2B − 3B − HR.
TB: Total bases from hits. Formula: 1B + 2 × 2B + 3 × 3B + 4 × HR.
CS: Times caught stealing.
SB%: Stolen-base success rate. Formula: 100 × SB ÷ (SB + CS).
HBP: Times hit by a pitch.
IBB: Intentional walks.
SH: Sacrifice bunts.
SF: Sacrifice flies.
GIDP: Times grounded into a double play.
GO/AO: Ground outs per air out. Air outs are outs on fly balls, line drives and popups. Formula: GO ÷ AO.
LOB: Left on base. Runners still on base when the batter made an out.
AB/HR: At bats per home run. Formula: AB ÷ HR.
BB/K: Walks per strikeout. Formula: BB ÷ SO.

Rafael Flores Jr., advanced hitting by seasonRegular season, oldest first
Season	Team	PA	AB	ISO	BABIP	HR%	K%	BB%	wOBA	wRAA	wRC
2025PIT	PITPittsburgh	17	15	.133	.375	0.0%	41.2%	11.8%	.280	-0.4	1.6
2026PIT	PITPittsburgh	163	148	.264	.304	6.7%	27.6%	9.2%	.367	6.6	26.0

PA: Plate appearances. Completed turns at the plate, including walks, hit-by-pitches and sacrifices.
AB: At bats. Plate appearances that count toward batting average; walks, hit-by-pitches, sacrifices and catcher's interference are left out.
ISO: Isolated Power. Extra bases per at-bat, separating extra-base power from batting average. Formula: (2B + 2 × 3B + 3 × HR) ÷ AB.
BABIP: Batting Average on Balls in Play. Hits on balls in play, excluding home runs. Contact quality, speed and defense all affect BABIP. Formula: (H − HR) ÷ (AB − SO − HR + SF).
HR%: Home-run rate. Formula: 100 × HR ÷ PA.
K%: Batting Strikeout Percentage. The percentage of plate appearances ending in a strikeout. Lower rates mean fewer strikeouts per opportunity. Formula: 100 × SO ÷ PA.
BB%: Batting Walk Percentage. The percentage of plate appearances ending in a walk, including intentional walks. Formula: 100 × BB ÷ PA.
wOBA: Weighted On-Base Average. Values each batting outcome by its contribution to scoring, using the matching season's run weights. Intentional walks are excluded. Formula: Weighted sum of unintentional BB, HBP, 1B, 2B, 3B and HR ÷ (AB + BB − IBB + SF + HBP).
wRAA: Weighted Runs Above Average. Batting runs above or below league average at the same number of plate appearances. Negative values are below average. This measure is not adjusted for ballpark. Formula: (wOBA − league wOBA) ÷ wOBA scale × PA.
wRC: Weighted Runs Created. Estimated batting runs created from wOBA and plate appearances, using the matching season's league scoring environment. This is not park-adjusted wRC+. Formula: [(wOBA − league wOBA) ÷ wOBA scale + league runs per PA] × PA.

Read advanced measures alongside playing time. N/A means the required inputs or season calculations are unavailable.

Advanced calculation notes by season

Pitching

1 season of pitching across 1 club. Season totals, oldest first. The team shown identifies the player's club when the totals were recorded.

Rafael Flores Jr., season by season pitchingRegular season, oldest first
Season	Team	W	L	W-L%	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP
2026PIT	PITPittsburgh	0	0	N/A	0.00	1	0	0	1.0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2.00

W: Wins.
L: Losses.
W-L%: Win-loss percentage. Formula: W ÷ (W + L).
ERA: Earned run average, earned runs per nine innings. Formula: 27 × ER ÷ outs recorded.
G: Games pitched.
GS: Games started.
SV: Saves.
IP: Innings pitched. .1 and .2 mean one and two outs.
H: Hits allowed.
R: Runs allowed, earned and unearned.
ER: Earned runs allowed.
HR: Home runs allowed.
BB: Walks allowed, including intentional walks.
SO: Strikeouts.
WHIP: Walks plus hits per inning pitched. Formula: 3 × (BB + H) ÷ outs recorded.

Fielding

2 seasons of fielding across 1 club. Fielding is shown by recorded position; games at different positions can overlap.

Rafael Flores Jr., fielding by seasonRegular season, oldest first
Season	Team	Pos	G	GS	INN	TC	PO	A	E	DP	FLD%	RF/9	RF/G	SB	CS	CS%	Pick	PB	WP
2025PIT	PITPittsburgh	C	1	1	9.0	10	9	1	0	0	1.000	10.00	10.00	0	0	N/A	0	0	1
2025PIT	PITPittsburgh	1B	6	4	33.0	23	19	4	0	4	1.000	6.27	3.83	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2026PIT	PITPittsburgh	P	1	0	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	N/A	0.00	0.00	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2026PIT	PITPittsburgh	C	37	29	269.1	284	271	11	2	2	.993	9.42	7.62	34	7	17.1%	0	2	17
2026PIT	PITPittsburgh	1B	11	11	89.0	71	64	7	0	7	1.000	7.18	6.45	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Pos: Position played. DH is designated hitter.
G: Games played at the position.
GS: Games started at the position.
INN: Innings in the field at the position. .1 and .2 mean one and two outs.
TC: Total chances. Formula: PO + A + E.
PO: Putouts.
A: Assists.
E: Errors.
DP: Double plays turned.
FLD%: Fielding percentage. Formula: (PO + A) ÷ TC.
RF/9: Range factor per nine innings. Formula: 27 × (PO + A) ÷ outs in the field.
RF/G: Range factor per game. Formula: (PO + A) ÷ G.
SB: Stolen bases allowed while catching.
CS: Runners caught stealing while catching.
CS%: Caught-stealing rate. Formula: 100 × CS ÷ (SB + CS).
Pick: Runners picked off by the catcher.
PB: Passed balls.
WP: Wild pitches while catching.

Batted-ball data

Recorded measurements and MLBDB estimates from the pitches seen and the balls put in play as a hitter. Each table's note says which.

MLBDB calculates these numbers from recorded game measurements. EV balls and LA balls show the sample sizes. EV+LA balls have both measurements and are used for barrel percentage. Seasons without these measurements show N/A.

Rafael Flores Jr., hitting by season: contactRegular season, oldest first
Season	Team	BBE	EV+LA balls	MLBDB barrels	MLBDB Barrel%	EV balls	Avg EV balls	Avg EV	Max EV	Hard-hit%	LA balls	Avg LA balls	Avg LA	Sweet-spot%
2025PIT	PITPittsburgh	8	8	1	12.5%	8	8	94.8	108.6	62.5%	8	8	14.0	62.5%
2026PIT	PITPittsburgh	103	103	15	14.6%	103	103	90.7	110.2	45.6%	103	103	12.4	37.9%

BBE: Batted Balls. Completed turns to bat that ended with a batted ball, including home runs. Some balls have no speed or angle measurement.
EV+LA balls: Balls with Recorded Speed and Angle. Balls that have both a usable speed and angle measurement. These are the balls used to calculate barrel percentage.
MLBDB barrels: MLBDB Barrels. Balls hit very hard at an angle suited to deep hits. MLBDB checks the recorded speed and angle against its documented barrel zone. Balls missing either measurement are left out. Rounded measurements can affect close calls. This is MLBDB's calculated classification.
MLBDB Barrel%: MLBDB Barrel Percentage. The percentage of balls with both speed and angle recorded that MLBDB counts as barrels. Missing measurements are left out. Formula: 100 × barrels ÷ balls with recorded speed and angle.
EV balls: Balls with Recorded Speed. All batted balls with a usable speed measurement, including bunts. This is the sample used for hard-hit percentage.
Avg EV balls: Average Exit Velocity Sample. Balls with recorded speed, excluding labelled bunts. Used for average and maximum exit velocity.
Avg EV: Average Exit Velocity. Average ball speed just after contact, in miles per hour. Balls with no speed measurement are left out. Balls labelled as bunts are excluded. Unknown bunt labels are retained. Formula: Sum of recorded speeds excluding labelled bunts ÷ Avg EV balls.
Max EV: Maximum Exit Velocity. The fastest recorded batted ball, in miles per hour. Balls labelled as bunts are excluded. Unknown bunt labels are retained.
Hard-hit%: Hard-Hit Percentage. The percentage of speed-measured balls hit at least 95 miles per hour. Formula: 100 × hard-hit balls ÷ balls with recorded speed.
LA balls: Balls with Recorded Angle. All batted balls with a usable angle measurement, including bunts. This is the sample used for sweet-spot percentage.
Avg LA balls: Average Launch Angle Sample. Balls with recorded angle, excluding labelled bunts. Used for average launch angle.
Avg LA: Average Launch Angle. Average angle at which the ball leaves the bat, in degrees. A negative angle points toward the ground. Higher is not always better. Balls labelled as bunts are excluded. Unknown bunt labels are retained. Formula: Sum of recorded angles excluding labelled bunts ÷ Avg LA balls.
Sweet-spot%: Sweet-Spot Percentage. The percentage of angle-measured balls launched from 8 to 32 degrees. Formula: 100 × sweet-spot balls ÷ balls with recorded angle.

Direction is estimated from recorded hit locations and the hand used to bat on each play. Rates divide by Located balls and show N/A below 95% location coverage. Unmapped balls are left out. Higher is not always better.

Rafael Flores Jr., hitting by season: hit directionRegular season, oldest first
Season	Team	Located balls	Location coverage	Pull%	Center%	Oppo%	Pull balls	Center balls	Oppo balls	Unmapped balls
2025PIT	PITPittsburgh	8	100.0%	25.0%	50.0%	25.0%	2	4	2	0
2026PIT	PITPittsburgh	103	100.0%	47.6%	35.0%	17.5%	49	36	18	0

Located balls: Balls with Usable Hit Locations. Balls whose recorded location and batting hand support an estimate of pull, center or opposite-field direction.
Location coverage: Hit-Location Coverage. The share of all balls that can be mapped. A rounded 95% can be slightly below the cutoff; the cutoff uses the original counts. Formula: 100 × located balls ÷ all batted balls.
Pull%: Estimated Pull Percentage. The share of located balls hit toward the batter's pull side. Uses located balls only. N/A when fewer than 95% of all balls can be mapped. These are chart-based estimates. Formula: 100 × pulled balls ÷ located balls.
Center%: Estimated Center-Field Percentage. The share of located balls estimated toward center field. Uses located balls only. N/A when fewer than 95% of all balls can be mapped. These are chart-based estimates. Formula: 100 × center-field balls ÷ located balls.
Oppo%: Estimated Opposite-Field Percentage. The share of located balls hit toward the side opposite the batter's pull side. Uses located balls only. N/A when fewer than 95% of all balls can be mapped. These are chart-based estimates. Formula: 100 × opposite-field balls ÷ located balls.
Pull balls: Estimated Pulled Balls. Balls estimated toward the pull side: left field for right-handed hitters, or right field for left-handed hitters.
Center balls: Estimated Balls to Center. Balls estimated toward center field, regardless of batting hand.
Oppo balls: Estimated Opposite-Field Balls. Balls estimated toward the opposite side: right field for right-handed hitters, or left field for left-handed hitters.
Unmapped balls: Balls with Unusable Hit Locations. Balls with missing details, unusable coordinates or locations outside the field area used for these estimates. They are excluded from direction percentages.

Pitches counts every pitch actually thrown; automatic balls and strikes are left out. Swings include bunt attempts, and caught foul tips count as whiffs. Whiff% divides misses by swings; SwStr% divides misses by pitches. Zone rates need a recorded location for at least 95% of pitches. Missing results show N/A. For 2018 through 2024, inside or outside the zone is an MLBDB estimate from recorded pitch locations and batter zone heights; from 2025, MLB's recorded zone labels are used.

Rafael Flores Jr., hitting by season: pitch disciplineRegular season, oldest first
Season	Team	Pitches	Swings	Whiff%	SwStr%	Contact%	Swing%	Chase%	Zone%	Z-Swing%	Z-Contact%	O-Contact%	First delivered strike%	Called%	CSW%	Zone coverage
2025PIT	PITPittsburgh	74	41	48.8%	27.0%	51.2%	55.4%	40.5%	43.2%	75.0%	58.3%	41.2%	58.8%	10.8%	37.8%	100.0%
2026PIT	PITPittsburgh	648	293	30.7%	13.9%	69.3%	45.2%	27.7%	52.2%	61.2%	77.8%	48.8%	67.9%	19.9%	33.8%	100.0%

Pitches: Delivered Pitches. Pitches actually thrown to the batter in these completed games. Automatic balls and strikes are excluded.
Swings: Swings. Attempts to hit a delivered pitch, including bunts.
Whiff%: Whiff Percentage. How often a swing is recorded as a miss, including caught foul tips. This divides whiffs by swings. Formula: 100 × swings and misses ÷ swings.
SwStr%: Swinging-Strike Percentage. How often a delivered pitch produces a whiff, including caught foul tips. This divides whiffs by pitches, not swings. Formula: 100 × swings and misses ÷ delivered pitches.
Contact%: Contact Percentage. How often a swing touches the ball, including ordinary fouls and bunt attempts. Caught foul tips are excluded. Formula: 100 × swings with contact ÷ swings.
Swing%: Swing Percentage. How often the batter swings at a delivered pitch. Formula: 100 × swings ÷ delivered pitches.
Chase%: Chase Percentage. How often the batter swings at a pitch outside the strike zone. Also called O-Swing%. Formula: 100 × swings outside the zone ÷ pitches outside the zone.
Zone%: Strike-Zone Percentage. The share of pitches with usable locations that are inside the strike zone. Formula: 100 × pitches inside the zone ÷ pitches with usable locations.
Z-Swing%: Swing Percentage Inside the Zone. How often the batter swings at a pitch inside the strike zone. Formula: 100 × swings inside the zone ÷ pitches inside the zone.
Z-Contact%: Contact Percentage Inside the Zone. How often a swing at a pitch inside the strike zone touches the ball. Formula: 100 × contact inside the zone ÷ swings inside the zone.
O-Contact%: Contact Percentage Outside the Zone. How often a swing at a pitch outside the strike zone touches the ball. Formula: 100 × contact outside the zone ÷ swings outside the zone.
First delivered strike%: First Delivered Pitch Strike Rate. The share of first delivered pitches that are strikes or put in play. Turns with no delivered pitch are excluded. Unfinished turns that had a pitch are included. Formula: 100 × first-pitch strikes ÷ first delivered pitches.
Called%: Called-Strike Percentage. How often a delivered pitch is called a strike without a swing. Formula: 100 × called strikes ÷ delivered pitches.
CSW%: Called Strikes and Whiffs. How often a delivered pitch is either a called strike or a swing and miss. Ordinary fouls are excluded; caught foul tips count as whiffs. Formula: 100 × called strikes plus misses ÷ delivered pitches.
Zone coverage: Pitch-Location Coverage. The share of delivered pitches with a usable location. Zone rates need at least 95% coverage, checked before rounding.

MLBDB estimates these from recorded ball speed and angle, for seasons from 2018. A season or period shows N/A if any batted ball it needs is missing a measurement or falls outside what the model covers. That is common over a full season, and in 2018 and 2019 no regular player has complete measurements. Differences use actual results from the same completed games. These describe recorded contact, not future performance.

Rafael Flores Jr., hitting by season: expectedRegular season, oldest first
Season	Team	Model balls	Measured%	MLBDB xBA	AVG − MLBDB xBA	MLBDB xSLG	SLG − MLBDB xSLG	MLBDB xwOBA	wOBA − MLBDB xwOBA	Missing pairs
2025PIT	PITPittsburgh	8	100.0%	.256	-0.056	.489	-0.156	.359	-0.078	0
2026PIT	PITPittsburgh	103	100.0%	.246	0.018	.503	0.024	.348	0.019	0

Model balls: Measured Balls Used in Estimates. Eligible batted balls with both speed and angle recorded. Defensive awards that do not count as at-bats are excluded.
Measured%: Expected-Stat Measurement Coverage. The share of eligible batted balls with both speed and angle recorded. Each expected statistic shows N/A if any contact value it needs is missing or outside model support.
MLBDB xBA: MLBDB Expected Batting Average. Estimated hits per at-bat from ball speed, angle and same-season running speed when available. Strikeouts remain at-bats. Each needed contact contribution must be available. Reviewed seasons are 2018 through 2026; the current season is provisional. Formula: Estimated hits in at-bats ÷ at-bats.
AVG − MLBDB xBA: Batting Average Minus Expected. Recorded batting average minus the estimate, using the same completed games. A positive number means the actual result was higher. This does not measure luck alone.
MLBDB xSLG: MLBDB Expected Slugging Percentage. Estimated bases from hits per at-bat. Singles count once, doubles twice, triples three times and home runs four times. Formula: Estimated total bases in at-bats ÷ at-bats.
SLG − MLBDB xSLG: Slugging Minus Expected. Recorded slugging minus the estimate, using the same completed games. A positive number means more bases were recorded than estimated.
MLBDB xwOBA: MLBDB Expected Weighted Batting Average. Combines reconstructed expected contact values with recorded walks and hit-by-pitches. Walks and hit batters use the same season's batting weights. Intentional walks are excluded. Every needed contact value must be available.
wOBA − MLBDB xwOBA: Weighted Average Minus Expected. Recorded weighted batting average minus the estimate, using the same completed games and batting weights.
Missing pairs: Balls with Incomplete Measurements. Eligible balls missing speed, angle or both. These inputs are not filled in. The affected expected statistic is N/A, and the real appearance remains counted.

Last 5 games

Rafael Flores Jr., batting in the last 5 gamesNewest first
Date	Game	Result	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO
Sep 27	@ DET@ Detroit Tigers	W 4-2	4	0	0	0	0	0	1
Sep 25	@ DET@ Detroit Tigers	L 7-8	4	1	1	1	3	0	1
Sep 23	vs STLvs St. Louis Cardinals	L 1-5	4	0	0	0	0	0	1
Sep 22	vs STLvs St. Louis Cardinals	W 2-0	3	0	0	0	0	1	1
Sep 20	vs KCvs Kansas City Royals	W 4-3	3	1	2	1	2	1	1

Bio

Position: Catcher (C)
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6' 3", 232 lb
Number: 43
Born: Nov 7, 2000, Anaheim, CA, United States
Age: 25
MLB debut: Sep 17, 2025
Draft: 2022 draft

Trade & Transaction History

4 recorded moves.

Jul 8, 2026

RecalledTrade

Pittsburgh Pirates recalled C Rafael Flores Jr. from Indianapolis Indians.

From Indianapolis IndiansTo Pittsburgh Pirates

Jun 13, 2026

OptionedTrade

Pittsburgh Pirates optioned C Rafael Flores Jr. to Indianapolis Indians.

From Pittsburgh PiratesTo Indianapolis Indians

Jun 10, 2026