Luis Rivas

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**Luis Rivas**

Pittsburgh Pirates — No. 31
Second Baseman
Born: August 30, 1979 (1979-08-30) (age 28)
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
September 16, 2000 for the Minnesota Twins
Selected MLB statistics (through 2007)
Avg	.262
Home runs	30
RBIs	177
SB	78
Teams
Minnesota Twins (2000-2005) Cleveland Indians (2007) Pittsburgh Pirates (2008-present)

Luis Wilfredo Rivas [REE-vas] (born August 30, 1979 in La Guaira, Vargas State, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball second baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played for the Minnesota Twins from 2000 to 2006 and the Cleveland Indians in 2007. He bats and throws right-handed.

Rivas is known to be a free-swinging hitter who will offer at almost any pitch often putting it in play. As a runner, he has good speed and is aggressive on the basepaths.

Defensively, Rivas has soft hands, a great arm and good range. He turns the double play well, and also is competent going back on pop-ups.

From 2000–04, Rivas has posted a .262 batting average with 29 home runs and 165 RBI in 506 games.

In 2006, Rivas played for the Durham Bulls of the International League. He hit a disappointing .218 with a OPS of .540. He signed a Minor-League Contract with the Cleveland Indians for the 2007 season. He hit .263 for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in 105 games. He earned a big league callup on September 1, when rosters expanded.

In December 2007, Rivas signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

[edit] 2005

After the All-Star break, Minnesota optioned Rivas to Triple-A Rochester. Once thought of as the Twins second baseman of the future, Rivas has yet to develop into the type of consistent hitter that the team needs. He was recalled, and then again sent back down on October 4 after the season had ended.