Ruben Rivera

Born: 11/14/1973 in Chorrera, Panamá Oeste, Panama

MLB Debut: 1995-09-03 | Final Game: 2003-05-28

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 195 lbs

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Biography

Ruben Rivera, born in 1973, was a professional baseball player who made his mark in Major League Baseball from 1995 until his retirement in 2003. Known for his versatility on the field, Rivera primarily played as an outfielder, showcasing a blend of speed and power during his time in the league. His career spanned eight seasons, during which he appeared in 662 games, recording 343 hits and 64 home runs. Rivera also contributed with 203 RBIs and demonstrated his base-running skills by stealing 50 bases, highlighting his ability to impact the game both at the plate and on the bases. Rivera's playing style reflected the transitional nature of baseball in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a period characterized by an offensive explosion and an emphasis on power hitting. Despite finishing his career with a batting average of .216, his contributions to the teams he played for, including the San Diego Padres and the New York Yankees, were significant, especially in clutch situations. Rivera's journey through the majors illustrated the challenges and opportunities faced by players in a competitive era, leaving a lasting impression in the annals of baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
662	1586	237	343	67	11	64	203	50	185	510	0.216	0.307	0.393	0.701	-2863.3

Career AVG .216 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — 18.9% below league average.

Career OBP .307 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 8.9% below league average.

Career SLG .393 vs. league average .425 across their career seasons — 7.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.701 vs. league average 0.762 across their career seasons — 8.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1995	NYY	AL	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1996	NYY	AL	46	88	17	25	6	1	2	16	6	13	26	0.284	.269 (+5%)	.340 (+12%)	.426 (+4%)	.767 (+7%)	137.2
1997	SDP	NL	17	20	2	5	1	0	0	1	2	2	9	0.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1998	SDP	NL	95	172	31	36	7	2	6	29	5	28	52	0.209	.266 (-21%)	.335 (-3%)	.420 (-10%)	.755 (-7%)	-198.5
1999	SDP	NL	147	411	65	80	16	1	23	48	18	55	143	0.195	.271 (-28%)	.344 (-14%)	.433 (-6%)	.778 (-10%)	-960.6
2000	SDP	NL	135	423	62	88	18	6	17	57	8	44	137	0.208	.270 (-23%)	.344 (-14%)	.437 (-9%)	.782 (-11%)	-1070.1
2001	CIN	NL	117	263	37	67	13	1	10	34	6	21	83	0.255	.263 (-3%)	.332 (-3%)	.426 (avg)	.758 (-2%)	-84.8
2002	TEX	AL	69	158	17	33	4	0	4	14	4	17	45	0.209	.261 (-20%)	.331 (-9%)	.416 (-26%)	.747 (-18%)	-495.9
2003	SFG	NL	31	50	6	9	2	0	2	4	1	5	14	0.180	.264 (-32%)	.332 (-23%)	.422 (-19%)	.754 (-21%)	-190.5

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
14	25	2	7	4	0	0	1	0	11	0.280

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	SO	AVG
1998	NLCS	SDN	6	13	1	3	2	0	7	0.231
1998	NLDS2	SDN	3	6	0	0	0	0	3	0.000
1998	WS	SDN	3	5	1	4	2	1	0	0.800
1996	ALDS2	NYA	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	0.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
OF	615	409	1191	29	22	8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1995	NYA	OF	4	0	2	0	0	0
1996	NYA	OF	45	21	77	2	0	0
1997	SDN	OF	7	3	13	0	0	0
1998	SDN	OF	91	43	104	3	3	0
1999	SDN	OF	143	110	312	8	8	2
2000	SDN	OF	132	112	303	10	5	3
2001	CIN	OF	99	56	171	4	3	2
2002	TEX	OF	67	56	167	2	3	1
2003	SFN	OF	27	8	42	0	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Left Field	52
Center Field	455
Right Field	123
Designated Hitter	2

Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
2003	SFN	NL	$500,000
2001	CIN	NL	$1,000,000
2000	SDN	NL	$700,000
1999	SDN	NL	$265,000
1998	SDN	NL	$182,500
1997	NYA	AL	$158,800
1996	NYA	AL	$109,000
Total Career Earnings			$2,915,300