Flores just wants to stick around

VIERA, Fla. — Jesus Flores has experienced life as a major league ballplayer. He has flown on the team charter. He has stayed at five-star hotels. He has played in front of 50,000 fans. He has watched as each one of his bags is handled by clubhouse attendants.

And he has no interest in giving up this life.

“It makes you see baseball like I’ve been dreaming since I was a kid,” the Washington Nationals’ 23-year-old catcher said. “Being in the big leagues is the best thing for me, so I just want to stay here.”

Flores’ performance as a rookie last season suggests he’s probably good enough to return for a second year in the majors. Despite never having spent a day above Class A, the Rule 5 draft pick hit a respectable .244 with four homers and 25 RBI in limited playing time and earned the respect of his teammates and coaches for his work behind the plate.

Those same teammates, coaches and front-office officials all agree: Flores will be the Nationals’ starting catcher for years.

Just not this year.

General manager Jim Bowden explained that stance on the first day of spring training.

“He’s our long-term solution, we think,” Bowden said. “To get there, with what we saw last year, we think it would really help him to play every day in Double-A. There are still parts of his game that need time to develop.”

The plan makes sense. Flores probably isn’t ready to catch 120 big league games, and he won’t benefit enough from catching only 40. And even though the Nationals’ situation behind the plate has been muddled this spring — neither starter Paul Lo Duca nor veteran backup Johnny Estrada has appeared in a game yet because of injuries — team officials acknowledge Flores won’t be in the picture for a spot on the Opening Night roster unless they are confident he will start four or five games a week.

So even as Flores continues to receive the bulk of the playing time in Florida this month, his pending demotion to either Class AA Harrisburg or Class AAA Columbus is on his mind.

“I know they’re going to make a decision,” he said. “I’m just preparing myself for the opportunity to be a big leaguer, and if I have to go to Triple-A or Double-A, wherever they want to send me, I know they’re doing it for a good reason because they want to help me prepare and make me a better player.”

As much as Flores wants to be in the home clubhouse on Opening Night, he seems to understand the organization’s philosophy and has come to grips with it.

“You have to accept it,” said bench coach Pat Corrales, who has worked extensively with Flores. “Because the best training you can get is playing. You can practice all you want. It’s the actual playing of the games that makes you better.”

Flores drew attention with his better-than-expected rookie performance, but those who watch him closely know he still has much to learn, especially when it comes to calling a game behind the plate and working with the pitching staff.

Like many young catchers, Flores has a tendency to let pitchers call their own shots too often.

“Flo’s got to get to that point where the pitcher can look at him and say: ’Hey, what are we doing?’ instead of going out there and asking: ’What do you want to do?’ ” right-hander Shawn Hill said. “Take charge in certain situations. But that’s probably just experience. I’ll think he’ll be perfectly fine. He just needs to play in more games.”

Flores, a native of Venezuela who barely spoke English when he arrived for spring training a year ago, admits he was occasionally timid when trying to coerce a pitcher into changing approaches. He’s determined not to let that happen this year.

“It was a little bit tough for me my first year to try to tell [pitchers] something that maybe they don’t want to hear,” he said. “But this year, everything is going to change. I want to take charge. I want to take charge and make sure about everything. That way I can be a better catcher.”

Offensively, Flores already has the tools and the skills to become a productive big league hitter. Though his rookie numbers don’t stand out at first glance, he progressed to the point that manager Manny Acta was routinely comfortable summoning him to pinch-hit in clutch situations.

Flores came through often in those spots, producing five game-tying or go-ahead hits from July 1 to Sept. 4.

Those kinds of moments convinced the Nationals they had found their catcher of the future. But they also know patience is required in this situation. Flores might be good enough to serve as a big league backup right now. But if a return to the minors helps make him a major league starter down the road, the patient plan will have been worth it.

“He came a long way last year, but he’s not through,” Corrales said. “It’s a long journey.”