Top NYY Could-Have-Beens: Rubén Rivera

Its not entirely uncommon for a high-ranking prospect to never quite figure things out in the major leagues.

Its not often, however, that some of the most vivid memories of a players career are silly, or downright bad.

Sadly, that may be the case for Ruben Rivera, particularly in his time with the Yankees .

Ruben Rivera, the cousin of Mariano, played in parts of nine seasons in the bigs, only two of which came in New York, with none showing the promise he did as a prospect.

Between unfulfilled potential, baserunning gaffes, and the occasional theft, Rivera easily finds a spot on this list of could-have-beens.

Years In Yankees Organization: 1990-96, 2002*, 2005 How They Left: Traded to Padres in April 1997 Career MLB Yankees Statistics: 51 games, 107 PA, .281/.377/.438, 2 HR, 105 OPS+, 0.9 rWAR, 1.0 fWAR Career MLB Statistics: 9 seasons, 662 games, 1,818 PA, .216/.307/.393, 64 HR, 82 OPS+, 5.7 rWAR, 4.9 fWAR Born on November 14, 1973 in Chorrera, Panama, Ruben Rivera grew up playing baseball in his hometown, and eventually catching the attention of major league scouts.

As a cousin of Mariano Rivera, it was quickly clear that baseball ran in the Rivera family tree, though Ruben was long considered the superior prospect.

In the same year as his cousin, Ruben signed with the Yankees in November of 1990, just a week after his 17th birthday.

Rivera first appeared in pro ball with the Yankees in 1992, but really began to make a name for himself in 93, with Low-A Oneonta.

There, the speedy center fielder slashed .276/.385/.568, stole 12 bases and hit 13 home runs in just 55 games, earning praise as the best prospect in the New York-Penn League.

His talent was clear even at just 19 years old, and he doubled down on the strong numbers in 1994.

In 139 games across two levels, Rivera topped 30 homers, stole nearly 50 bases, and maintained an impressive .898 OPS.

This success most certainly did not go unrecognized, either, as Rivera began to shoot up prospect rankings in the wider baseball world.

In 1995, Baseball America dubbed Rivera as the second-best prospect in all of baseball, comfortably slotted between a couple of guys who figured it out a bit more effectively in the major leagues: Alex Rodriguez and Chipper Jones.

BA even went so far as to suggest that Ruben could be the next Mickey Mantle.

Rivera was, of course, atop the Yankees prospect list as well, ahead of everyone in a loaded top 10 that featured Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, and Rubens aforementioned cousin, Mariano.

With plenty of excitement built in Rivera and the entire farm system (rightfully so), Ruben made his major-league debut in September of 1995.

The Yankees top prospect appeared in five games, but only came to the plate once and struck out.

He wasnt on the active roster during the playoff series against the Mariners, but like his fellow top prospect Jeter, manager Buck Showalter felt that Rivera was important enough to the future of the franchise that he should travel with the team to get a taste of October baseball.

Rivera started the 1996 campaign in the minors since the Yankees had a crowded, experienced starting outfield.

Injuries created an opportunity in mid-May, and Rivera was called up, earning his first career hit in a 2-for-4 season debut on May 23rd.

With the team getting healthier a month later though, he was sent back to Triple-A and did not take it well.

That began months of discontent between Rivera and the team per Joel Sherman in Birth of a Dynasty : The immature Rivera had infuriated [Joe] Torre by sulking when he was demoted June 15th.

He exasperated the whole organization on July 19th when, after being caught stealing in a Triple-A game against Norfolk and being ejected for arguing the call, Rivera simply left Cooper Stadium without permission.

The organization suspended him for seven games for insubordination, and, when he returned to Columbus, Rivera continued to brood and struggle on the field.

It would be late August before Rivera returned to the Yankees, and he only did so because the Yankees hands were forced.

Bench outfielder Gerald Williams had been traded to the Brewers as part of a deal for lefty reliever Graeme Lloyd, and the outfielder who came along with Lloyd to replace Williams, Pat Listach, turned out to have a broken foot.

So Torre agreed that Rivera had to return, and honestly, he delivered in his select opportunities.

Years later, Jeter affirmed to Sherman just how talented his former fellow prospect was: Ruben Rivera was as good a player as Ive ever seen.

Ruben could do everything.

It was just that Ruben was a little immature.

The rookie hit .293/.341/.463 with a 104 wRC+ in 45 plate appearances (his season wRC+ was 113 in 106 PA), and he contributed some key moments for the stretch run.

He had an outstanding diving catch on September 10th in Detroit to a secure a tight 9-8 win over the Tigers.

Rivera also got to be the hero on September 18th in the Bronx, when the red-hot Orioles were trying to run down the Yankees for the division title.

He stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning and defied his weakness against sliders with a game-winning single off slider-happy Baltimore reliever Alan Mills.

The Yankees won the AL East and punched their ticket to the playoffs.

Limited by a shoulder strain, Rivera made two appearances off the bench in the ALDS against the Rangers and was otherwise not used that postseason as the Yankees took home their first title in 18 years.

At the outset of 1997, Rivera was named a top-10 prospect in the sport by Baseball America for the third year in a row.

That would not keep him in pinstripes, though.

In early 1997, one of the bigger stories around baseball centered around the fate of Japanese ace Hideki Irabu, who wanted to follow in Dodgers star Hideo Nomos footsteps and come to Major League Baseball.

It was trickier in those days , as the posting system had not yet been organized, and NPB rules at the time gave Irabus team (Chiba Lotte) full control of his rights for 10 years.

The Padres ended up acquiring them in January without Irabus approval, and he refused to play for them.

The Yankees stepped in to resolve the situation, as they were highly interested in Irabu as well.

Irabu wanted to be a Yankee, and they agreed to trade for his rights the catch was that the package would involve bidding adieu to their top prospect, Rivera (not to mention a few others).

The organization had been frustrated by Rivera in 96, but it was still not easy for them to give him up.

Although Irabu didnt turn into the ace that New York once dreamed of, he was still a decent enough starter over the next few years with two championship teams that the Yankees made the right call.

Rivera never played like a top-10 MLB prospect and rarely even a productive regular.

The outfielder played in just 17 forgettable games for the Padres in 97, and 95 more as a roughly average player the following season.

Rivera did get a lot of run in the 98 playoffs with San Diego, including a 4-for-5 run in the World Series against his former club with a pair of doubles.

He got to his cousin for a single in the final inning of Game 4, but a double-play ball erased him and an out later, Mos Yankees were the champions.

Ruben returned to San Diego for the 1999 season, where he enjoyed the fullest (and likely best) year hed have as a big leaguer.

The then 25-year-old played in a career high 147 games for the dads, and though he sported an uninspiring .195/.295/.406 slash line, he did hit 23 home runs, a career-best by a wide margin.

He played a significant role once again in 2000, though the offensive numbers were still nothing to write home about, as he managed just an 81 wRC+ across those two seasons.

Rivera was released from the Padres in March of 2001, and spent that season playing in 117 games with the Cincinnati Reds .

The results were slightly better, with a .255/.321/.426 slash line (90 wRC+) but still not what youd expect from someone of his prospect stature.

Unfortunately for him, that run with the Reds would end up being his last real shot at significant playing time in his big league career.

He was not, however, quite done making his mark on the niche corners of baseball history.

The Yankees gave him another shot, signing him in February of 2002, and extended an invite to spring training.

He wouldnt break camp with the club however, and it may not have had much to do with performance.

He was released on March 11th, with reports surfacing that he had stolen a bat and glove from Derek Jeters locker, which he sold for $2,500.

That, unsurprisingly, spelled the end of the shot Rivera had with the Yankees in this second chapter.

Rivera played his final big league ball in 2003 with the San Francisco Giants , where he is likely remembered for one more, not so favorable, moment.

In a play Jon Miler dubbed as the worst baserunning in the history of the game, Rivera botched a would-be walk-off for the Giants in May of that season when he, lets say, got a bit caught up on the second base bag.

Riveras final game as a major leaguer came and went on the very next day.

Ruben Rivera played his last affiliated ball with the Yankees, coming full-circle when he played a handful of High-A games in 2005.

Although he did produce some memorable moments, for better or worseand tore up Mexican League pitching until his mid-40sits fair to say Rivera never lived up to his potential with the Yankees, or as an MLB player.

As a former top-shelf prospect who ultimately floundered out of the majors before he turned 30, Ruben Rivera finds a very fitting spot on this list of Could-Have-Beens.

As Andrew noted a little over a decade ago though, the enjoyable epilogue is that signing Rivera in the first place ultimately led to the Yankees drafting a fella named Aaron Judge (in a roundabout way).

Previously on Top Could-Have-Been Yankees J.T.

Snow Full List (to date).

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