Luis Wilfredo Rivas (born August 30, 1979) is a former

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 (AL), ...

infielder. He played for the Minnesota Twins from 2000 to 2005,

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

in 2007, and Pittsburgh Pirates in 2008. He batted and throws

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

. Rivas was known to be a free-swinging hitter who will offer at almost any pitch often putting it in play. As a runner, he has good speed and is aggressive on the basepaths. Defensively, Rivas has soft hands, a great arm and good range. He turns the double play well, and also is competent going back on pop-ups. From 2000 to 2004, Rivas posted a .262

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with 29

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 ...

s and 165 RBI in 506 games. After the 2005 All-Star break, Minnesota optioned Rivas to Triple-A

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

. Once thought of as the Twins second baseman of the future, Rivas was yet to develop into the type of consistent hitter needed. He was recalled, and then again sent back down on October 4 after the season had ended. In 2006, Rivas played for the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

of the International League. He hit a disappointing .218 with an OPS of .540. He signed a Minor League contract with the Cleveland Indians for the 2007 season. He hit .263 for the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

in 105 games. He earned a big league callup on September 1, when rosters expanded. In December 2007, Rivas signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In January 2009, Rivas signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs.

Sources

*''The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia'' – Gary Gillette, Peter Gammons, Pete Palmer. Publisher: Sterling Publishing, 2005. Format: Paperback, 1824pp. Language: English.

External links

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Retrosheet
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Venezuelan Winter League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivas, Luis 1979 births Living people Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cleveland Indians players Durham Bulls players Fort Myers Miracle players Fort Wayne Wizards players Gulf Coast Twins players Iowa Cubs players Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Major League Baseball second basemen Minnesota Twins players Navegantes del Magallanes players New Britain Rock Cats players People from La Guaira Pittsburgh Pirates players Rochester Red Wings players Salt Lake Buzz players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States

See also

Sources

External links