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Juan Luis Rivera (born July 3, 1978 in Guarenas,
Miranda State, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball
outfielder who plays for the Los Angeles Angels of
Anaheim.
Rivera was signed by the 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, and while he showed promise, his
.265 of batting average and one home run was a
disappointment for the Yankees standard.
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. 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 RBIs in 2004.
On November 19, 2004, he was sent along with
shortstop Maicer Izturis to Anaheim in the same
trade that brought outfielder José Guillén to the
Washington Nationals. In his first season as an
Angel, Rivera saw playing time as both an outfielder
and a designated hitter. Although he started the
season slowly, he stepped up his play in the final
months of 2005 and finished with a .271 batting
average and a then-career high 15 home runs and 59
RBIs in 106 games.
During the 2006 campaign, Rivera was made an
everyday player, often starting at left field (or
serving as the designated hitter when veteran Garret
Anderson plays left). He finished the season with
his best statistical year yet, batting .310 with 23
home runs and 85 RBIs.
Juan Rivera was the starting left fielder for the
Venezuelan team in the inaugural World Baseball
Classic.
While playing in the Venezuelan league Juan Rivera
broke his leg sliding for first and was placed on
the disabled list by the Angels. This injury kept
him out for most of the 2007 season however he
returned on September 2 against the Texas Rangers. |