Ruben Rivera
From SoSH
| Born: | November 14, 1973 |
| Birthplace: | Chorrera, Panama |
| Height: | 6'3" |
| Weight: | 200 lbs |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Drafted: | 1990 Amateur Free Agent by the New York Yankees |
| College: | None |
| High School: | None |
| Teams: | New York Yankees 1990 - 1996 San Diego Padres 1997 - 2000 Cincinatti Reds 2001 Texas Rangers 2002 San Francisco Giants 2003 Baltimore Orioles 2003 Chicago White Sox 2006 |
Ruben Rivera is a former outfielder who struggled to stay in the major leagues throughout his seventeen year career. He is the cousin of New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.
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Overall Career
Rivera was signed as an amateur free agent by the Yankees in 1990 at the age of sixteen. Two years later he began his rise through their farm system where he was considered to be one of the organization's top prospects. In 1996, Rivera experienced his first significant stay with the Yankees. Appearing in 46 games that season, he batted .284 with an 824 OPS. The following season he was traded to the San Diego Padres in a deal that brought back the rights to Japanese pitcher Hideki Irabu.
Rivera spent parts of the following four seasons with the Padres, never batting above .250 and mostly hovering around the Mendoza Line. He was released by San Diego following the 2000 season and spent the rest of his career bouncing around various organizations, mostly as a minor league filler.
Moment in the Sun
Thanks to some convincing by his cousin, Mariano Rivera, Ruben was re-signed by the Yankees before the 2002 season. This opportunity quickly faded however when the outfielder was confronted with accusations that he had stolen equipment from the Yankees locker room and sold it to memorabilia traders. Rivera eventually confessed to crimes which included selling Derek Jeter's glove and bat for $2500. Although he recovered the merchandise, the Yankees chose to cut ties their former prospect.
Trivia
- Appearing in 662 games, Rivera's cummulative major league batting average is .216 with a 700 OPS.
Quotes
- "That was the worst baserunning in the history of the game!" --ESPN's Jon Miller, May 27, 2003, after witnessing a severe baserunning gaffe by Rivera where he was thrown out at home on a play in which the opposing fielders commited two errors.
- "I prefer not to talk about it." --Mariano Rivera when asked about his cousin's theivery
External Links
- Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
