Juan Rivera (baseball)
| Juan Rivera | |||
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Rivera with the Toronto Blue Jays
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| Left fielder | |||
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Born: July 3, 1978 Guarenas, Miranda State, Venezuela |
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| MLB debut | |||
| September 4, 2001, for the New York Yankees | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 3, 2012, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .274 | ||
| Home runs | 132 | ||
| Runs batted in | 539 | ||
| Teams | |||
Juan Luis Rivera (born July 3, 1978) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Rivera was signed by the New York Yankees as a non-draft amateur free agent in 1996 and made his Major League debut on September 4, 2001 against the Toronto Blue Jays. He was hitless in four at-bats in three games that first season. He returned to the Yankees on June 5, 2002 and recorded his first hit, a double, against the Baltimore Orioles. He hit a .265 batting average with one home run in 2002, Nevertheless, it was enough to warrant Baseball America naming him the #1 prospect in the Yankees organization. His strengths were described as 'above-average raw power', 'crushes fastballs' and had excellent defense. However, in spite of good contact, an impatient hitter and an average runner who would likely get slower with age.
Rivera was again recalled in 2003, this time to hit seven homers (including a multi-homer game) with 26 RBI and a .266 batting average.
He, along with Nick Johnson and Randy Choate were traded to the Montreal Expos before the 2004 season for Javier Vázquez. In 134 games with Montreal in 2004, he finished with a .307 batting average, 12 homers and 49 RBI.
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