Juan Luis Rivera (born July 3, 1978) is a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB) for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in ...

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ...

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

Playing career

New York Yankees

Rivera was signed by the

as a non-draft amateur

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

in 1996 and made his Major League debut on September 4, 2001 against the

. He was hitless in four at-bats in three games that first season. He returned to the Yankees on June 5, 2002 and recorded his first hit, a double, against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. He hit a .265 batting average with one

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

in 2002, Nevertheless, it was enough to warrant

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

naming him the #1 prospect in the Yankees organization. His strengths were described as 'above-average raw power', 'crushes fastballs' and had excellent defense. However, in spite of good contact, an impatient hitter and an average runner who would likely get slower with age. Rivera was again recalled in 2003, this time to hit seven homers (including a multi-homer game) with 26 RBI and a .266 batting average.

Montreal Expos

He, along with Nick Johnson and Randy Choate, was traded to the

before the 2004 season for Javier Vázquez. In 134 games with Montreal in 2004, he finished with a .307 batting average, 12 homers and 49 RBI.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

On November 19, 2004, the Expos (on the verge of becoming the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

) traded Rivera and

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

Maicer Izturis to the

for outfielder

José Guillén José Manuel Guillén (pronounced ; born May 17, 1976) is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. Guillén played for ten Major League Baseball (MLB) teams in his career. Professional career Pittsburgh Pirates Guillén was signed b ...

. In his first season as an Angel, Rivera saw playing time as both an outfielder and a

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by t ...

. Although he started the season slowly, he stepped up his play in the final months of 2005 and finished with a .271 batting average and a then-career high 15 home runs and 59 RBIs in 106 games. During the 2006 campaign, Rivera was made an everyday player, either starting at left field or serving as the designated hitter when veteran

Garret Anderson Garret Joseph Anderson (born June 30, 1972) is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the California / Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Atlanta Braves, and Los Angele ...

played left. He finished the season with his best statistical year yet, batting .310 with 23 home runs and 85 RBI. Juan Rivera was the starting left fielder for the Venezuelan team in the inaugural

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Leagu ...

. While playing for Oriente in Venezuela's winter ball, Rivera broke his leg sliding for first and was placed on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

by the Angels. This injury kept him out for most of the 2007 season, with the exception of a brief appearance for 14 games in September. USA0808-62 Juan Rivera

On December 19, 2008, Juan Rivera re-signed with the Angels for three years worth $12.75 million through 2011. Rivera had a good hitting season, especially in the months of May to July. He hit 25 home runs, batted for an average of .287, and had an

on-base plus slugging On-base plus slugging (OPS) is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player both to get on base and to hit for power, two important offensive skills, are ...

of .810. However, in contrast to the rest of the team, his baserunning was generally poor. Noted baseball analyst

Bill James George William James (born October 5, 1949) is an American baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics. ...

rated him the worst baserunner in the MLB in his annual book, because of his overaggressive tactics including being thrown out 8 times on attempts at going from first to third, costing his team an estimated 40 runs. Rivera got 2010 off to a slow start, batting just .235 over the first two months of the season. He finished the season hitting .243 with 15 home runs.

Toronto Blue Jays

After the 2010 season, Rivera was traded to the

along with catcher

Mike Napoli Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

in exchange for outfielder

Vernon Wells Vernon Michael Wells III (born December 8, 1978) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the New York Yankees. Wells ...

. He struggled to start the season after ending Spring training strong, but after being moved to

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

to replace an injured

Adam Lind Adam Alan Lind (born July 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals. Lind has a ...

, his offense picked up considerably. On July 3, Rivera was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays after hitting .243 with 6 home runs in 70 games for them during the first half of the 2011 season.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On July 12, 2011, Rivera was traded to the

for a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

or cash considerations. On July 15, 2011, in his first at bat as a Dodger, he hit a home run on the first pitch he saw off

Joe Saunders Joseph Francis Saunders (born June 16, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Saunders pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners and ...

of the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

. He went on to play in 62 games for the Dodgers, hitting .274 with 5 home runs and 46 RBI. After the season, he signed a new one-year contract with the Dodgers which included an option for 2013. He spent most of the 2012 season platooning in left field (with

Tony Gwynn Jr. Anthony Keith Gwynn Jr. (born October 4, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Gwynn played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Philadelphia Phillies. The ...

and

Bobby Abreu Bob Kelly Abreu (; ; born March 11, 1974), nicknamed "El Comedulce" and also "La Leche", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New Y ...

) and at first base (with James Loney). After the Dodgers acquired Shane Victorino and

Adrián González Adrián González Savín (born May 8, 1982), also known by his nicknames "A-Gon" and "Titán", is a Mexican-American former professional baseball first baseman He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, ...

in trades, Rivera was relegated to pinch hitting. In 109 games, he hit .244 with 9 home runs and 47 RBI. The Dodgers declined his 2013 option worth $4 million on October 29, instead electing to pay the $400,000 buyout, making him a free agent.

New York Yankees

On January 28, 2013, the New York Yankees signed Juan Rivera to a minor-league deal. On March 28, he was released by the Yankees.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On April 30, 2013, Rivera signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks, and played 2013 with the

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009. ...

2015 WBSC Premier12

In November 2015, Rivera participated with the Venezuela national team in the inaugural WBSC Premier12.

Batting style

Rivera is distinguished by his high contact rate and low strikeout rate. In 2009, he had the ninth lowest strikeout percentage in the American League, at 10.8%. His career strikeout rate stands at 11.3% through the 2009 season, compared to an MLB average of 18.0%.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivera, Juan 1978 births Living people Albuquerque Isotopes players Caribes de Oriente players Columbus Clippers players Gulf Coast Yankees players Los Angeles Dodgers players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Montreal Expos players Navegantes del Magallanes players New York Yankees players Norwich Navigators players Oneonta Yankees players People from Guarenas Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Reno Aces players Salt Lake Bees players Tampa Yankees players Toronto Blue Jays players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Canada Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela 2006 World Baseball Classic players 2015 WBSC Premier12 players

Playing career

New York Yankees

Montreal Expos

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Toronto Blue Jays

Los Angeles Dodgers

New York Yankees

Arizona Diamondbacks

2015 WBSC Premier12

Batting style

See also

References

External links