Juan Luis Rivera...has three children, Sebastian, Luis and Juan Jr...originally signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free
agent on April 12, 1996.
2011
Acquired by the Dodgers from the Toronto Blue Jays with cash considerations on
July 12 and went on to hit .274 with five homers, 12 doubles, a .406 slugging
percentage and 46 RBI for the club over 62 contests...His 46 RBI for the Dodgers ranked second on the club and tied for ninth in the
National League over the second half of the season...his 22 RBI in the month of
September tied for second in the NL with Ryan Braun, just behind Matt Kemp (24)...Made 58 starts with Los Angeles...32 in left field, 13 in right field and 13 at first base...the Dodgers
went 36-22 (.621) when he started, including a 23-9 mark (.719) when he started in left field...Hit .344 (22-for-64) with runners in scoring position while with the Dodgers...Homered on the first pitch he saw as a Dodger on July 15 at Arizona...became the first
Dodger to homer in his first at-bat with the club since Ronnie Belliard on Aug. 31, 2009...Had a season-high four RBI on three occasions (Aug. 10 vs. Philadelphia, Sept. 8 at
Washington and Sept. 18 vs. Pittsburgh)...With the Dodgers, hit .281 vs. right-handers and .254 against lefties, but overall his
split was .247/.289...With Los Angeles, hit .260 with three homers and 21 RBI at Dodger Stadium...hit .285
with two home runs and 25 RBI on the road as a Dodger...Hit .243 with six homers and 43 RBI for Toronto during the first half and designated for
assignment on July 4...finished the season batting a combined .258 with 11 homers, 74
RBI and 23 doubles in 132 games...Acquired by Toronto along with Mike Napoli from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange
for Vernon Wells on Jan. 21.
2010
Completed 6th season with the Angels, playing in 124 games, hitting 10 or more home runs for the 6th time in his career... Reached 15 home runs for the 4th time in his career, all with the Angels... WHEN IT COUNTS: Belted 10 of his 15 home runs vs. AL West foe... Best month came in July when he batted .319 in 20 games... Ranked second
on the club with eight outfield assists... BIG DAY: Posted 9th career multi-HR game on Oct. 1 at TEX, including the game-winning home run in the 11th inning... LATE COMER: In his career has now batted .257 in the first half of the season (Apr-June) as opposed to .296 in the second half (July-Oct).
2009
Another Angel who put together career power numbers in 2009...Hit career-best 25 home runs (previously 23 home runs in 2006) and knocked in career-high 88 RBI...Also logged career numbers in games (138), hits (152) and runs scored (72)...2nd on club with 11 game-winning RBI and hit .325 (49/151) with RISP...Batted .333 (47/141) vs.
LHP...3 home runs shy of 100...Returned to lineup July 27 after eight-game absence (tight right hamstring)...Tied
club record with three doubles August 14 at Bal...Tied for 4th in AL with 11 outfield assists.
2008
Spent fourth season with Angels and batted .246 (63/256) with 13 doubles, 12 home runs and 45 RBI in 89 games (66 starts)...All 12 home runs came after July 2 (58 games)...Was Angels top pinch-hitter, batting .357 (5-for-14) with five
RBI (two GW PH-RBI)...Tied Angels' club record with four extra-base hits Sept. 13 vs. Seattle (3 2B, 1 HR)...Also tied
career-best with four hits...Missed time in September with a mild strain of his right hip flexor...Logged 16 RBI in his last
17 games of season...With three Angel infielders out with injuries Aug. 27 vs. Oakland, he made his MLB debut at second
base in the 9th inning...Batted .311 (19/61) with 6 HR and 16 RBI in July...Had 11-game hit streak July 12-28 (streak
matched career-best set in 2004)...Hit .275 (36/131) at home compared to .216 (27/125) on road...7 of his 12 home
runs came on the road...Agreed to terms on a three-year contract, December 19, 2008.
2007
Missed all but one month of season recovering from a broken left tibia suffered Dec. 22 in a Winter
League game in Venezuela...In 14 games (10 starts) with Angels, batted .279 (12/43), with one double,
two home runs and 8 RBI...Launched 2nd HR of season in as many games, Sept. 19 vs. Tampa Bay...
Connected for first HR of season Sept. 16 at Chicago (first HR since Sept. 26, 2006)...Recalled from rehab
and activated from 60-day DL Sept. 2...Placed on 15-day DL March 31 (retro to March 23) and transferred
to 60-day DL April 26...Began rehab assignment Aug. 13 and batted a combined .282 (20/71) with nine
doubles and 19 RBI in 18 games.
2006
Rivera set career highs in home runs (23), RBIs (85), average (.310), runs (65) and hits (139) as he became an everyday player for the Angels midway through the season. His previous bests in home runs and RBIs were 15 and 59, respectively, set in 2005. He hit nearly 60 points higher after the All-Star break than before it (.335 to .277). Rivera tied the club record for home runs in the month of July with 11 (Don Baylor, 1979). Rivera led all American League outfielders with 13 assists. He missed 20 games with a strained left rib cage in the early part of the season.
2005
In first season with Angels, established career bests with 15 HRs and 59 RBI...Ended season hitting in season-best eight straight games (.353; 12/34, 2 HR, 9 RBI) and started last 17 games of 2005, span in which Angels went 14-3 to seal division title...Hit .308 (49/159) from Aug. 1- end of season...5 of last 11 RBI on season tied game or gave Angels lead...One of top Angel hitters with RISP (.348, 31/89)...Final HR on last day of season was key as 3-run shot in 4th inning at Texas tied game at 4-4 in comeback win to help club seal home field in 1st round vs. of Division Series vs. NYY...Tallied 5th outfield assist Sept. 9 at CWS throwing out potential winning run (Rowand) at home in 11th inn...Had four hits, two HR (3rd time) and six RBI (2nd time in career), Aug. 18 vs. Boston...10 total bases were most by Angel in 2005...Hit safely in 60 of 84 starts (27 as DH, 31 in LF, 22 in RF, 4 in CF)...Tied club record with three doubles (7/27 at Tex.).
2004
Spent entire season with Montreal, posting .307 average (120/391) with 24 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs and 49 RBI
in 134 games...Set career-highs in every offensive category...Struggled in first half of season, batting .244 (43/176) with
five home runs and 23 RBI...Posted .358 average (77/215) with seven home runs and 26 RBI in the second half to finish
at .307...Hit .370 after Aug. 1, fourth best in ML (Suzuki, .419; Bonds, .375; Helton, .374)...Batted .276 (43/156) with
six home runs and 21 RBI off lefties while posting .328 average (77/235) with six home runs and 28 RBI vs. righties...
Collected first career pinch-hit home run and first NL home run, May 2 at LA (Guillermo Mota)...Hit two HR (2R and GS)
in an inning for fifth time in Expos history, June 19 vs. CWS (9 run second inning)...Was first and only player in Olympic
Stadium history to accomplish feat and 11th player in ML history to do so...Was second player to post two HR in an
inning during interleague play (also Jared Sandberg)...Also collected six RBI, matching Andre Dawson's single-inning
RBI record (Sept. 24, 1995 at CHI, fifth inning)...Other Expos to homer twice in an inning are John Boccabella (July 6,
1973 vs. HOU), Andre Dawson (twice; July 30, 1978 at ATL and Sept. 24, 1985 at CHI) and Mike Lansing (May 7, 1997 at
SF)...Matched career-high four hits in game, Aug. 22 at Col...Posted career-high 11-game hit streak, Sept. 14-24, batting
.386 (17/44) with three home runs and eight RBI in that span...Hit streak included six multi-hit efforts...Named Expos
Player of the Month for September by Montreal Chapter of BBWAA after setting single-month career-highs in hits (37)
and RBI (15)...Ranked first in ML in outfield assists with 14 (also Richard Hidalgo)...13 of 14 outfield assists came in RF
and five were recorded at home plate...Batted .302 (58/192) with six home runs and 26 RBI at home while batting .312
(62/199) with six home runs and 23 RBI on road.
2003
Hit .266 with 7 HR and 26 RBI in 57 games with the Yankees (30 starts in left field, 13 starts in right field).
In 79 games for Triple-A Columbus this season, batted .325 (100-for-308) with 21 doubles, 7 HR and 37 RBI...had 19-game hitting streak to begin the season from 4/3-27.
Was recalled from Triple-A Columbus before 5/23 game vs. Toronto, started in LF and was 1-for-4 in his season debut.
In 17-inning win on 6/1 at Detroit, became the first Yankee to ground into three double plays in a single game since Matt Nokes on 5/2/93 vs. Minnesota.
Was 2-for-5 with 2R, 3RBI and game-tying, ninth-inning HR (#1) in 6/24 win at Tampa Bay...was his second Major-League home run and first in 38 games since 9/19/02 at Tampa Bay (off Brazelton).
Was optioned to Columbus on 7/7.
Was recalled from Triple-A Columbus for a second time on 8/20.
Hit solo-HR (#2) and was 3-for-4 with 2R and 2RBI in 8/20 win vs. Kansas City
Hit three-run HR in the fourth (#6) and solo-HR in the eighth (#7)--his first career multi-HR game--and established career-highs with four hits (4-for-4), 3R and 4RBI in 9/27 win vs. Baltimore.
Tied a career-high with six-game hitting streak from 9/17-27, hitting .550 (11-for-20) with 5HR and 10RBI...homered in four of five starts during that span (5HR total).
Signed as a free agent by the Yankees on April 12, 1996.
Contract extends through the 2003 season.
2002
Started season with Columbus, batting .325 (86/265) with 21 doubles, one triple, eight home runs
and 47 RBI in 65 games...Tied International League with 14 outfield assists...Named top prospect in Yankees
organization by Baseball America...Appeared in 28 games for Yankees, posting .265 average (22/83) with five doubles, one home run and
six RBI in 28 games...Recalled, June 5 vs. Baltimore...Collected first Major League hit with fifth inning double...
Made two starts before being placed on 15-day DL, June 9, due to small avulsion fracture of right knee cap...
Reinstated from DL Aug. 19 and optioned to Columbus same day...Recalled for second time, Aug. 31...Hit first
Major League HR, Sept. 19, at Tampa Bay...Named top prospect in Yankees' organization by Baseball America.
2001
Split time between double-A Norwich and Columbus, leading all Yankee minor-leaguers with .322
average and 98 RBI and third with 28 home runs...Began season with Norwich, posting .320 average (101/316)
with 18 doubles, three triples, 14 home runs and 58 RBI in 77 games with Navigators...Posted 19-game hit
streak, April 15-May 4, batting .368 (28/76) with five HR and 14 RBI in that span...Selected to play for World
Team in Futures Game during All-Star Weekend...Named to double-A All-Star game in Indianapolis...Promoted
to Columbus, June 30...Had contract purchased by Yankees, Sept. 4...Was hitless in four at-bats in three games with Yankees...Made Major League debut, Sept. 4, at Toronto,
replacing Paul O'Neill in right.
2000
Spent majority of season with single-A Tampa, batting .276 (113/409) with 26 doubles, one triple, 14
home runs and 69 RBI in 115 games...Promoted to Norwich, posting .226 (14/62) average with five doubles, two
home runs and 12 RBI in 17 games...Ranked 11th best prospect in Yankees organization by Baseball America.
1999
Posted .263 (112/426) average with 20 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs and 77 RBI in 109 games
with Tampa...Appeared in five games with rookie-level Tampa, batting .333 (6/18) with one home run and four
RBI...Ranked eighth best prospect in Yankees' organization by Baseball America.
1998
Spent majority of season with Tampa, batting .333 (70/210) with nine doubles, one triple, 12 home
runs and 45 RBI in 57 games...Led league in home runs, RBI, home runs per at-bat (1/17.50) and total bases
(117), ranked second in hits (70), slugging percentage (.557) and runs (43), ranked third in games (57) fourth
in average...Ranked top prospect in Gulf Coast League by managers in Baseball America survey...Nominated as
Topps/NAPBL Player of the Year...Selected to Howe Sportsdata's All-Star Team and was given "Star of Stars"
Award for overall statistical excellence...Played six games for Oneonta in New York Penn League, batting .278
(5/18) with one home run and three RBI.
1997
Played for Maracay in Venezuelan League, batting .282 (40/142) with nine doubles and 14 RBI in
52 games.
1996
Began professional career with Yankees in Dominican Summer League, batting .167 (3/18) with two RBI in 10 games.
