Emmanuel Rivera has been promoted to the big league club, while Kelvin Gutierrez has been designated for assignment by the Royals. Since yesterday, several sources have been speculating about the announcement.
From Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, he was taken in the 19th round of the 2015 draft as a shortstop with a projection to the corners. Rivera has progressed slowly since being drafted, taking one step forward at a time.
There have been successes along the way, including a South Atlantic League batting championship in 2017 at Low-A Lexington.
Rivera put up a solid batting average (.280) with an average OBP and plenty of doubles the following season in Wilmington.
Even so, only a few balls managed to slip past the barrier. Rivera’s groundball rate was higher than 50% at the early levels, but it gradually decreased as he progressed.
His ISO values plummeted to Double-A, below.100, resulting in a disappointing season. Despite this, Rivera was named to the Puerto Rican national team’s U-23 group, which is coached by Yadier Molina.
This training, combined with a solid winter ball season with his Mayaguez home club this year, showcased a third baseman who was beginning to tap into his stature and strength.
He appears to be a power-hitting third baseman at 6’2 and 225 pounds. With three home runs and six doubles in 17 games, such has been the case in winter ball.
This season, the power continued to show in Omaha, with 14 home runs, 11 doubles, and a triple in 44 games.
The groundball rate is at a lifetime low of less than 45 percent, while the line-drive rate is at a career high of 25 percent, with 14 home runs already hit.
Because of his middle-of-the-field approach, he won’t smash 30-40 home runs, but he has made decent contact throughout his career and has shown a proclivity to hit for average.
How Tall Is Emmanuel Rivera?
Emmanuel Rivera’s height is 1.88 m.
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