Captains of the Week (6/9-6/14/26): Dean Curley & Luis Flores

EASTLAKE, Ohio – For the week of June 9-14, Lake County is recognizing INF Dean Curley and LHP Luis Flores as the 11th set of Captains of the Week for the 2026 season for their impressive showings versus the West Michigan Whitecaps.

DEAN CURLEY, INF

Curley had a productive series at the plate versus West Michigan this past week.

The right-handed hitter led the Captains with four extra-base hits in four games played, logging two doubles, two home runs, and five RBI. He batted .313 with five hits and two walks, posting an .813 slugging percentage and a 1.202 OPS.

Curley logged a double, a home run, and a walk in back-to-back games on Thursday, June 11 and Saturday, June 13, which were a pair of Captains wins. He hit an RBI double and a solo home run on June 11, while tallying a two-run double and another solo shot two days later.

Curley ranks top-10 in MiLB with 61 walks (second) and a .454 on-base percentage (seventh) this season. The 22-year-old is batting .240 with 41 hits, 11 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 32 RBI, seven stolen bases, and an .893 OPS in 51 games played for Lake County this year.

Curley, MLB Pipeline’s No. 11 Guardians prospect, was selected by the Cleveland Guardians in the second round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Tennessee, where he won the 2024 National Championship while playing for current San Francisco Giants Manager Tony Vitello. The La Verne, California native was assigned to the Captains’ 2026 Opening Day roster after making his pro debut with the 2025 Single-A Carolina League Champion Lynchburg Hillcats (now Hill City Howlers). He batted .304 with five RBI and three extra-base hits (two doubles and a triple) in five games played during the 2025 Carolina League Playoffs, including a two-run triple in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the 2025 Carolina League Championship Series.

LUIS FLORES, LHP

Flores did not allow a run in two relief appearances versus West Michigan this past week.

The left-hander threw one strikeout without a walk in 2.1 combined innings of work, surrendering just one hit.

On Tuesday, June 9, Flores pitched 1.1 perfect innings out of the Lake County bullpen in a 4-2 Captains win. He induced an inning-ending fielder’s choice to leave the bases loaded and keep the game tied in the sixth before working a spotless seventh.

Two days later, the 22-year-old earned his second hold of the season with a scoreless seventh inning of relief, throwing an inning-ending strikeout to strand the tying run in scoring position.

Flores has fared well in his last five relief appearances, posting a 1.42 ERA, one hold, and four strikeouts without a walk in 6.1 innings pitched.

Flores was signed by the Cleveland Guardians as an international free agent on Dec. 4, 2021 out of Samaná, Dominican Republic. He was promoted to the Captains from the 2025 Single-A Carolina League Champion Lynchburg Hillcats (now Hill City Howlers) on Aug. 11, 2025, logging a 3.00 ERA and nine strikeouts in nine innings pitched out of the Lake County bullpen last season. He averaged an impressive 14.75 strikeouts per nine innings with Lynchburg in 2025, throwing 71 strikeouts in only 43.1 innings pitched.

The Captains will begin a seven-game road series against the Great Lakes Loons on Tuesday, June 16. First pitch for the series opener is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. from Dow Diamond in Midland, Michigan. Lake County will be the home team in Game 2 of a doubleheader on Wednesday, June 17. The first four scheduled games of the series will conclude the First Half of the 2026 Midwest League regular season. Friday, June 19 will mark the beginning of the Second Half of this year’s campaign.

The series will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live App, the MiLB App, and StreamGuys, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.

About the Lake County Captains:

The Lake County Captains are the professional High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians located in Eastlake, Ohio. Our mission is to honor the rich history of our organization, while also introducing baseball to a new generation of fans through innovative means. We are committed to supporting our community, sports teams, and each other by demonstrating passion and having fun every day.