Luis Rivera (minors09)

Luis Javier Rivera Marrero

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 215 lb.

• High School Ramon Villa Mayo High School

• Born October 12, 1986 in San Juan Puerto Rico

BR register page

Biographical Information

Luis Rivera played pro ball for a bit over a decade and was on the Puerto Rican national team.

He was chosen by the Los Angeles Angels in the fifth round of the 2004 amateur draft, and signed for a $185,000 bonus. He was the second position player they took that year, and third overall pick after Jered Weaver and future NFL player Patrick White. He hit .218/.361/.266 for the AZL Angels in his pro debut, fielding .949 in the outfield. He was with the Indios de Mayagüez in the Puerto Rican Winter League. Returning to the AZL Angels, he improved to .280/.362/.409 with 4 triples and 25 runs in 42 games in 2005, fielding .986.

After another winter with the Indios, he hit .256/.328/.380 for the Orem Owlz in 2006. Released by the Angels, he was picked up by the Toronto Blue Jays but eked out a .182/.265/.216 line for the 2008 Auburn Doubledays. He was 2-for-6 with a walk that winter for the Indios. His next stop was the New York Mets' Brooklyn Cyclones affiliate and he did well at .297/.402/.441 with 37 walks and 38 runs in 66 games, going 13-for-16 in steals. He had eight outfield assists to one error. He was 0 for 3 in winter ball.

Despite his fine summer the prior year, the Mets did not bring him back and he wound up in the independent leagues, producing at a .260/.311/.393 clip for the Washington Wild Things in 2010. He batted a steady .266/.324/.394 for the 2011 Wild Things and stole 21 bases in 25 attempts. He slipped to .227/.370/.273 in 8 games for Washington in 2012. Returning to Puerto Rico, he hit .290/.340/.473 with 11 doubles in 31 contests for the Santurce Crabbers in 2012-2013. Only Kiké Hernández hit more two-baggers in the Puerto Rican League that winter.

Switching teams, he played for the Kansas City T-Bones in 2013, batting .277/.340/.418. He was 10-for-36 with a walk and a homer for Santurce in the 2013-2014 winter, with 8 runs in 13 games, then was only 1-for-23 with a walk in 2014-2015 to end his pro career. He appeared for Puerto Rico in the 2015 Premier 12, hitting .154/.267/.231 with one run and two RBI in five games. His big hit was a double off the Dutch national team's Bayron Cornelisse in a 11-7 loss.