Rabell Saúl Rivera (born December 7, 1977) is a Puerto Rican former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

and

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

Career

Minnesota Twins

Rivera attended the

University of Mobile The University of Mobile is a private Baptist university in Prichard, Alabama, in Mobile County. It is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). History The university was founded in 1961 by the Alabama ...

, and was drafted in the ninth round of the 1998 Major League Baseball draft by the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

. He was assigned to the

Elizabethton Twins The Elizabethton Twins were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They were located in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and were named for their Major League Baseball, major league aff ...

after signing. He was promoted to the

Quad Cities River Bandits The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, on ...

in 1999, where he would spend the season. In 2000, he began the season with the advanced Single-A

Fort Myers Miracle The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Fort Myers, Florida, and play their home games at the Lee County Sports Complex at ...

before receiving a promotion to the Double-A

New Britain Rock Cats The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League (1938–2020), Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado ...

. He would spend the 2001 season with New Britain, pitching in 33 games for the club. He was added to the Twins roster in the offseason.

New York Mets

On November 20, 2001, Rivera was selected off waivers by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

. He began the 2002 season with the Double-A

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mi ...

Montreal Expos

On July 16, 2002, the Mets sent Rivera to the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

as the

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 ...

for the April trade of

Bruce Chen Bruce Kastulo Chen (born June 19, 1977) is a Panamanian former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astro ...

Dicky Gonzalez Dicky Angel Gonzalez Vallenilla (born December 21, 1978) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays and in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Tokyo ...

, and Luis Figueroa to Montreal in exchange for

Scott Strickland Scott Michael Strickland (born April 26, 1976) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) relief pitcher who played for several teams between 1999 and 2010. Amateur career A native of Houston, Texas, Strickland attended the University of ...

Phil Seibel Philip Matthew Seibel (born January 28, 1979) is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. Biography Seibel attended the University of Texas, where he pitched for the Texas Longhorns baseball team from 1998 to 2000. He also ...

, and Matt Watson. He was assigned to the AA

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team who play in the Eastern League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The team is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at FNB Field on Cit ...

upon his acquisition. He began the 2004 season with Harrisburg.

Milwaukee Brewers

On June 7, 2004, the Expos traded Rivera to the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

with Peter Bergeron for Jason Childers and Jason Belcher. He was assigned to the Double-A

Huntsville Stars The Huntsville Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Huntsville, Alabama, from 1985 to 2014. They competed in the Southern League as the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics from 1985 to 1998 and Milw ...

. Rivera elected free agency on October 15, 2004.

Washington Nationals

On November 16, 2004, he signed with the

. He played for Harrisburg in 2005, playing in 40 total games for the team. Rivera made his MLB debut on May 25, , for the

against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

. In that game, he got his first

hold Hold may refer to: Physical spaces * Hold (compartment), interior cargo space * Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane * Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place Arts, entertainment, and media * Hold (musical term), a pause, also called ...

, pitching 2/3 of an inning. He struck out one and walked one. He had been called up from Triple-A

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

on May 22, 2006. He finished his rookie season with a 3.43

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

. He struck out 41 and walked 32. In , he only allowed one

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

in 93 innings pitched. Rivera spent 2007 between the major league club and the Triple-A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...

, pitching in 85 games for Washington. In 2008, played the entirety of the season with Washington, pitching in 76 games. In 2009, Rivera played in 30 games for the Triple-A

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

and 30 for the major league club. On December 7, 2009, Rivera was released by the Nationals to make room on the 40-man roster for Brian Bruney.

Cleveland Indians

On December 21, 2009, Rivera signed a minor league contract with an invite to Spring training with the

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) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

. He began the season with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On May 17, 2010, Rivera was traded to the

for cash considerations. He would play for the Triple-A

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

, but also appear in 4 major league games for Arizona, pitching to a 22.09 ERA over 3.2 innings. He was designated for assignment on June 8, he cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A

on June 11. He was released on July 26, 2010.

Cleveland Indians (second stint)

On August 21, 2010, Rivera re-signed with the

on a minor league contract, and was assigned to Triple-A Columbus the following day. He elected free agency on October 5.

Saraperos de Saltillo

On March 28, 2011, Rivera signed with the

Saraperos de Saltillo The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serapes) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero in Saltillo, Coahuila. They have won three championships (1980, 2009 ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He was released on June 29. In 12 games 13.1 innings of relief he struggled going 1-0 with a 6.08 ERA with 7 strikeouts and 1 save.

Road Warriors

On July 5, 2011, Rivera signed with the

Road Warriors The Road Warriors, also known as the Legion of Doom, were a professional wrestling tag team originally composed of Road Warrior Hawk (Michael Hegstrand) and Road Warrior Animal (Joseph Laurinaitis).. They performed under the name "The Road Wa ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. He became a free agent after the season. In 28 games 42 innings of relief he went 2-4 with a 4.29 ERA and 29 strikeouts.

Sugar Land Skeeters

On July 31, 2012, Rivera signed with the

Sugar Land Skeeters The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the G ...

of the

. He pitched to a 2.20 ERA over 18 games for Sugar Land, including 17 strikeouts. He became a free agent after the season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivera, Saul 1977 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Atlantic League Road Warriors players Binghamton Mets players Columbus Clippers players Criollos de Caguas players Elizabethton Twins players Fort Myers Miracle players Gulf Coast Twins players Harrisburg Senators players Huntsville Stars players Indios de Mayagüez players Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente pitchers Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Mexican League baseball pitchers Mobile Rams baseball players New Britain Rock Cats players New Orleans Zephyrs players Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Mexico Quad Cities River Bandits players Reno Aces players Saraperos de Saltillo players Baseball players from San Juan, Puerto Rico Sugar Land Skeeters players Syracuse Chiefs players Washington Nationals players 2009 World Baseball Classic players