Juan Rivera(baseball) |
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Juan Luis Rivera (born July 3, 1978 in Guarenas, Miranda State, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Rivera was signed by the New York Yankees as a non-draft amateur free agent in 1996 and made his debut in the 2001 season. When he came up to New York in midseason 2002, he showed promise, but only hit a .265 batting average with one home run.
Rivera was sent to Triple-A Columbus in 2002. Rivera was again recalled in 2003, this time to hit seven homers (including a multi-homer game) with 26 RBI. Although he is not known for his speed, Rivera is considered an above average fielder who gets a good jump on the ball, has a strong throwing arm, and is adept at playing the outfield corners: left and right field. Rivera has also spent a good deal of time playing center field. He and Nick Johnson were traded to the Expos before the 2004 season for Javier Vázquez. In Montreal, he finished with a .307 batting average, 12 homers and 49 RBI in 2004.