Luis Rivera Gutierrez (born June 21, 1978) is a Mexican right-handed 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), ...

pitcher. He is tall and weighs . He is currently the manager for the

Rieleros de Aguascalientes The Rieleros de Aguascalientes (English: Aguascalientes Railroaders) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Aguascalientes, Mexico. History Baseball arrived in Aguascalientes in hand with the railroad at the beginning o ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

Career

Prior to being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Braves in 1995, he attended Sistema Prepatoria Abierta in Telucha, Mexico. He began his professional career in 1996 with the

GCL Braves The Florida Complex League Braves are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Braves. The team plays at CoolTo ...

, not playing in American baseball in 1995 because he was loaned by the Braves to the Tigres del Mexico. With the GCL Braves in 1996, he went 1–1 with a 2.59 ERA. In 1997, he pitched for the

Danville Braves The Danville Braves were a Minor League Baseball team in Danville, Virginia. They were an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League and were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have played home games at American Legion Post 3 ...

and

Macon Braves Macon may refer to: Places Belgium *Macon, Belgium France *Mâcon ** Ancient Diocese of Mâcon **Mâcon, another name for the Mâconnais wine from that region United States of America * Macon, Alabama * Macon, Georgia * Macon, Illinois *Macon ...

, going a combined 5–1 with a 2.03 ERA in 13 games started. In 62 innings of work, he had 84 strikeouts and 24 walks. Ranked the 44th best prospect in baseball in 1998 by

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 ...

, Rivera went 5–5 with a 3.98 ERA for Macon that season. He struck out 118 batters in 92 innings that season. Rivera was ranked the 71st best prospect in baseball by Baseball America in 1999 and the fourth best prospect in the Braves organization. That year he went 0–2 with a 3.11 ERA in 66 innings. He struck out 81 batters in 66 innings of work. In 2000, he was ranked the 51st best prospect in baseball and the fifth best prospect in the Braves organization. He began the season on the Braves Opening Day roster, making his big league debut on April 4. He made five relief appearances for the Braves, going 1–0 with a 1.35 ERA in 6 innings of work. He spent time with the GCL Braves and Richmond Braves that year too, going a combined 0–3 with a 6.82 ERA. On July 31, 2000, he was traded with

Trenidad Hubbard Trenidad Aviel Hubbard (born Trent Hubbard' May 11, 1964) is a former Major League Baseball journeyman outfielder. He is an alumnus of Southern University and A&M College. Drafted by the Houston Astros in the 12th round of the 1986 MLB amateu ...

and

Fernando Lunar Fernando José Lunar oo-NAR(born May 25, 1977), is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played for the Atlanta Braves (2000) and Baltimore Orioles (2000–02). He batted and threw right-handed. He played minor league baseball through 2007. ...

to the Orioles for

Gabe Molina Cruz Gabriel Molina (born May 3, 1975) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) right-handed relief pitcher who played for the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, and St. Louis Cardinals between 1999 and 2003. Early life A native of Denve ...

and

B. J. Surhoff William James "B. J." Surhoff (born August 4, 1964) is an American former catcher, outfielder, first baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter in Major League Baseball (MLB). Over his 18-year MLB career, he played every position except pitcher ...

. He appeared in only one game for the Orioles, allowing a walk and a hit in 2/3 of an inning. He also appeared in three games with the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

, going 0–1 with a 3.38 ERA. He played his final big league game on September 20, 2000. Although he was ranked the fifth best prospect in the Orioles organization in 2001, he did not play at all that year or in 2002. On April 3, 2003, he was released by the Orioles. He has been playing in the

since then. On June 17, 2009 Rivera signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets, but never pitched for them. In , he appeared in one game for the

Dorados de Chihuahua Dorados de Chihuahua (English: Chihuahua Goldens) are a refounded baseball team from the city of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Chihuahua. Recently, the Tuneros de San Luis moved to Chihuahua and took the Dorados namesake, which also brought the LMB (AAA ...

References

Baseball Almanac stats and brief biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivera, Luis 1978 births Living people Algodoneros de Guasave players Atlanta Braves players Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Chihuahua Danville Braves players Dorados de Chihuahua players Gulf Coast Braves players category:Macon Braves players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Mexico Mexican expatriate baseball players in the United States Mexican League baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball managers Myrtle Beach Pelicans players Pericos de Puebla players Richmond Braves players Rochester Red Wings players Sultanes de Monterrey players Tigres de la Angelopolis players Tomateros de Culiacán players