Ron Flores

Ronald Joel Flores (born August 9, 1979) is a former left-handed relief pitcher who played with the Oakland Athletics from 2005 to 2007.

The Oakland Athletics selected Flores in the 29th round (870th overall pick) of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft. He is the younger brother of Randy Flores, current director of scouting for the St. Louis Cardinals and also a former MLB left-handed relief specialist.[1] Both men graduated from El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, California, and attended the University of Southern California (USC), playing college baseball for the Trojans. Ron Flores attended from 1998 to 2001, and was a member of USC's 1998 national championship baseball team. After the 1998 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[2] He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from USC.

In limited appearances with Oakland, Flores was mostly the second or third lefty in the bullpen. He pitched a career-high four shutout innings for his first big league win on June 29, 2006 against the San Diego Padres. His first Major League save came after he pitched a scoreless 10th inning in the final game of the 2006 season. On December 12, 2007, Flores signed a minor league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, uniting him with his older brother, Randy Flores. He became a free agent at the end of the season and signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds, only to be released by the organization on April 1, 2009.

After being released by the Reds, Flores signed with the independent Long Island Ducks. He pitched in 53 games for them before retiring.