Emmanuel Rivera Prospect Ranking

Emmanuel Rivera, the Royals’ third baseman, was still playing when the calendar turned to January last year. In a happy start to a year that ended tragically, he closed up his debut season in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico Baseball League).

For the local Indios de Mayagüez (Mayagüez Indians), Emmanuel Rivera hit .330/.393/.413 with seven doubles and eight RBIs. At the conclusion of the season, he was unanimously voted PRBL Rookie of the Year.

With a .310 average for Class A Lexington, he won the South Atlantic League hitting title in his first complete season in the United States.

Rivera also had 12 home runs, five triples, and 27 doubles to go along with 72 runs batted in and 60 runs scored.

His .832 OPS earned him a spot on the Royals’ 2017 Organization All-Stars at third base, and MLB Pipeline named him Kansas City’s Hitting Prospect of the Year.

In October, Rivera returned to his hometown to compete in the PRBL, a 79-year tradition. A succession of natural calamities, however, put the league’s 80th edition in jeopardy.

During the restricted schedule, Rivera is hitting.208 (10-for-48) with a.578 OPS, two doubles, and three RBIs. His squad tied for second place with Santurce with a 9-9 record in the 18-game competition.