Luis Wilfredo Rivas plays as a second baseman for the Minnesota Twins. The Twins selected him as an amateur free agent in 1995. He was born on August 30, 1979 in La Guaira, Vargas State , Venezuela . Luis Rivas attended Licencia Baranda (VZ) High School where he played baseball and basketball. He made his Major League debut on September 16, 2000 and singled off Scott Schoeneweis for first big league hit. Rivas hit his first major league home run off Dave Mlicki on April 11, 2001 against Detroit . He led the Twins in stolen bases and was ranked second in at-bats and games played. He finished the season, nearly in the top ten rookie batting category of the American League and won Bill Boni Award as Twins' Outstanding Rookie. In his four seasons in Major League, Rivas has posted a .262 batting average with 29 home runs and 165 RBI in 506 games. He is basically a free swinger hitter who often swings at almost any pitch. He is a rapid runner and aggressive on the base paths. He has great arm strength but soft hands. His on-base-percentage has improved considerably. In 2005, he was optioned to go back to Triple-A Rochester after the All-Star break. Rivas has yet to develop into the consistent hitter that the team wants to see in their second baseman. |
