Michael Rene Rivera (born September 8, 1976) is a former professional baseball

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

. He played for the Detroit Tigers,

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

, Milwaukee Brewers, and

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

during a nine-season

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), ...

(MLB) career.

Baseball career

Detroit Tigers

Rivera attended Troy State University (where he was a

Mid-Continent Conference The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States from Illinois on the East of the Mississippi River to the Dakotas and Nebraska on the W ...

Eastern Division All-Star) and was signed by the Detroit Tigers as an 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 is a ...

in 1997. He began play that season with the Rookie League

Gulf Coast League Tigers The Florida Complex League Tigers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Tigers. The team plays its home gam ...

, batting .286 in 47 games. He played for the Class A

West Michigan Whitecaps The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, and play their home games at LMCU Ballpa ...

in 1998. In 1999, he played the majority of the season with the Class A-Advanced

Lakeland Tigers Lakeland is primarily a toponym. It may refer to: Places Australia * Lakeland, Queensland Canada * Lakeland (electoral district), a federal electoral district in Alberta * Lakeland County, a former municipal district in Alberta * District of ...

, but also played a few games for the Double-A

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

. He returned to both Lakeland and Jacksonville in 2000 in addition to playing with the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

. Rivera played the entire 2001 season with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves before being called up to the majors in September. He was a

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the l ...

All-Star in 1997, a Florida State League All-Star in 1999, and an Eastern League All-Star in 2001. He made his major league debut on September 18, 2001, for the Tigers against the Minnesota Twins as a late inning defensive replacement. His first start was on September 22 against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

, he was hitless in four at-bats. He recorded his first major league

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

on September 27 against the Kansas City Royals, a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

to left field off

Mike MacDougal Robert Meiklejohn MacDougal (born March 5, 1977) is a former relief pitcher in professional baseball. He is a switch hitter and throws right-handed. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Washingt ...

. He appeared in a total of four games for the Tigers that season and another 39 in 2002. He hit his first career

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 ...

on April 4 against the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

. He spent half of the 2002 season with Triple-A Toledo.

San Diego Padres

On November 15, 2002, he was traded by the Tigers to the

for

Gene Kingsale Eugene Humphrey Kingsale (born August 20, 1976) is an Aruban former Major League Baseball player with the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, and Detroit Tigers from until . At six-foot-three, and his weight ranging from 170 t ...

. During the 2003 season, Rivera appeared in 19 games for the Padres and hit .170. He also played in 13 games for their Triple-A

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

, batting .160.

Chicago White Sox/Oakland Athletics

Rivera was placed on waivers by the Padres and selected by the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

on June 9, 2003. They assigned him to the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

. Rivera began the 2004 season with Charlotte and batted .100 in 11 games. On April 22, he was selected off waivers again, this time by the Oakland Athletics. He played for the A's Triple-A team, the

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 ...

in 2004, batting .224 in 49 appearances.

Milwaukee Brewers

He began the 2005 season with the

Atlantic City Surf The Atlantic City Surf were a professional minor league baseball team based in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Surf was most recently a member of the Can-Am League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The Surf played its home games ...

of the Independent Atlantic League but shortly signed with the Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent. He played the rest of the season with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. His 2006 playing time was split between Nashville and Milwaukee. He served as the Brewers' backup to

Damian Miller Damian Donald Miller (born October 13, 1969) is a former professional baseball catcher. He won the 2001 World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, beating the New York Yankees. High school years Miller attended West Salem High School in West S ...

, then as a starter at the end of the season. With Miller returning in 2007, and the acquisition of

Johnny Estrada Johnny Pulado Estrada III (born June 27, 1976) is an American former professional baseball catcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, and Washington N ...

from 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 ...

, Rivera began the season with Nashville, but also played in 11 games for Milwaukee. On June 25, 2007, he caught a

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...

with Sounds batterymate

Manny Parra Manuel Alex Parra (born October 30, 1982) is an American professional baseball player who is a free agent. He has played as a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds. Early life Parra graduated from Ca ...

. In 2008, he was again promoted to the majors as a backup for

Jason Kendall Jason Daniel Kendall (born June 26, 1974) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1996 through 2010 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Ka ...

, and also played first base occasionally. On August 13, 2009, Rivera had his first career multi-home run game against the San Diego Padres. He played three games for Nashville that season and the rest of the year with Milwaukee.

New York Yankees

On December 22, 2009, Rivera signed a minor league contract with 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 of ...

. On April 3, 2010, before the season began, he was released when the Yankees signed

Chad Moeller Chad Edward Moeller OE-ler(born February 18, 1975) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 through 2010 for the Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinna ...

to be their backup catcher for the Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

Los Angeles Dodgers

On April 20, 2010, Rivera signed with the

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) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

and was assigned to the Double-A

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

. On August 4, he was promoted to the Triple-A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an e ...

. He was released on August 28. He hit .257 in 58 games with Chattanooga and .125 in 14 games for Albuquerque.

Florida Marlins

On September 2, 2010 he signed a minor league contract with the

and was assigned to the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs, where he hit .111 in three games. He appeared in seven games with the Marlins late in the season and was hitless in 14 at-bats.

Return to Milwaukee

On October 17, 2010, Rivera signed a minor-league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers for the 2011 season. He was called up to the major leagues on May 17, 2011 when Sean Green was designated for assignment.Brewers Designate Sean Green For Assignment
MLBTradeRumors.com, May 17, 2011. He elected to become a free agent following the season, but was re-signed by Milwaukee to a minor-league deal shortly after. The Brewers released Rivera on March 30, 2012.

Boston Red Sox

Rivera signed with the Long Island Ducks for 2012, but before the season started, on April 20, 2012, he signed a minor-league deal with the

. He played for the Pawtucket Red Sox, Triple A team for the Red Sox. He has three sons.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivera, Mike 1976 births Living people Detroit Tigers players San Diego Padres players Milwaukee Brewers players Florida Marlins players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Gulf Coast Tigers players West Michigan Whitecaps players Lakeland Tigers players Jacksonville Suns players Toledo Mud Hens players Erie SeaWolves players Charlotte Knights players Portland Beavers players Sacramento River Cats players Atlantic City Surf players Nashville Sounds players Chattanooga Lookouts players Albuquerque Isotopes players New Orleans Zephyrs players Troy Trojans baseball players Pawtucket Red Sox players Águilas Cibaeñas players People from Río Piedras, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Atenienses de Manatí (baseball) players Cangrejeros de Santurce (baseball) players Tigres de Aragua players Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Venezuela