Carlos Rivera

Carlos Alberto Rivera...makes his offseason home in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico...attended Academia Adventista in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico...signed by Pirates scout Jose Luna.

2005

Spent the entire season with Triple-A Round Rock in the Houston organization, batting .312 with 17 home runs and 68 RBI in 129 games...led the Express in games, hits (142), and doubles (35), and ranked among club leaders in RBI (3rd), runs (4th, 64) and home runs (4th)...hit .371 (26-for-70) in 23 games in month of May...played mostly first base, but also spent time at the corner outfield positions...hit .338 (76-for-225) in home games and .324 (116-for-358) against right-handed pitchers...batted mostly in cleanup or 5th slots in batting order...from June 11-July 1, hit safely in 17 of 18 games at .338 (24-for-71) with 3 home runs and 4 doubles...over 11-game stretch from July 24-Aug. 4, went 18-for-44 (.409) to raise average from .308 to .322...homered twice on Aug. 16 at Nashville...posted season-high 4 hits on Aug. 24 vs. Nashville...was in major league camp in spring training until being reassigned on March 29, one of the Astros' final cuts...hit .281 with 4 HR, 28 RBI, and 9 doubles in 41 games for Ponce in Puerto Rican Winter League...Ponce advanced to the league finals against Carolina.

2004

Rivera started the season with Triple-A Nashville, where he batted .292 with 17 home runs and 50 RBIs in 93 games with the Sounds. The left-handed hitting first baseman spent two weeks on the Nashville disabled list in July due to a left intercostal strain. Rivera was recalled on April 26 and appeared in seven games with the Bucs before being optioned on May 8.

2003

Split season between Nashville (AAA) and Pittsburgh...Was named the Pacific Coast League's best defensive first baseman by Baseball America (the third time overall he has won this award)...Made 70 appearances @first base with Nashville and made just two errors...Began season with Sounds and hit .325 (13-for-40) with six RBI in his first 11 games...Homered in consecutive games on 5/1 @Edmonton and 5/2 vs. Las Vegas...Also drove in four runs on 5/1...Went 15-for-46 (.326) with nine RBI in 11 games from 5/15-27...Smacked a home run and drove in four runs on 5/16 @Albuquerque...Went deep in back-to-back games on 5/29-30 @Iowa...Hit seven roundtrippers and tallied 18 RBI during the month of May...Hit one home run and picked up just two RBI in his last 22 Triple-A games...Recorded a hit in each of his last six games, going 8-for-18 (.444)...Batted just .216 (11-for-51) off PCL southpaws...Was recalled by Pittsburgh on 6/22 and delivered an RBI-double as a pinch hitter in his first big-league plate appearance vs. Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia that afternoon...Made his first start on 6/23 and went 0-for-4...Posted his first multi-hit game on 7/12 @Houston, going 2-for-4 with an RBI...His sacrifice bunt on 7/21 vs. Houston was just the second of his professional career (also on 5/8/01 while playing with Double-A Altoona)...Snapped an 0-for-13 streak with a pinch-hit solo home run on 8/9 @Colorado, his first major league home run (off Steve Reed)...Was hitless in 11 at bats before collecting a single on 8/29 vs. Atlanta...Hit .470 (8-for-17) with two home runs and five RBI in 10 games from 9/12-20...Connected off Randy Wolf for second career home run on 9/14 vs. Philadelphia...Also cracked two-run roundtripper on 9/20 vs. Chicago (off Antonio Alfonseca)...Has six hits in 27 at bats as a pinch hitter (.222)...Made a total of 60 appearances @first base (14 starts) with the Pirates and made four errors...Played winter ball in Puerto Rico and hit .246 (34-for-138) with three homers and 19 RBI in 38 games with Ponce.

2002

Spent second straight full season with Altoona (AA) ... Was named to Eastern League's post-season All-Star team ... Was also named the league's best defensive first baseman by Baseball America for second year in a row ... Led club in home runs and RBI ... Ranked third among all Pittsburgh farmhands in homers, RBI and total bases (247) ... Made all 119 defensive appearances at first base and made just seven errors ... Hit .333 (28-for-84) in 23 games during the month of April and .347 (35-for-101) in his first 27 games thru 5/5 ... Homered in three straight games from 4/10-14 ... Hit safely in nine consecutive games from 4/10-21, going 16-for-35 (.457) with four home runs and 11 RBI ... Reached base safely in 12 consecutive games from 5/12-25 ... Went season-high 42 straight games without an error from 4/30 thru 6/20 ... Went 7-for-37 (.189) in a nine-game stretch from 6/20 thru 7/1, dropping batting average to .281 ... Snapped an 0-for-16 streak with a 3-for-5 performance on 7/2 ... Hit .330 (69-for-209) in his final 52 games ... Batted .542 (13-for-24) during a six-game hitting streak from 7/25-30 ... Missed a week of action in mid-July after returning to native Puerto Rico to tend to personal business ... Homered in three straight games from 7/26-28 ... Batted .348 in 22 games during the month of July ... Tallied a .332 batting average in 66 games at home and a .270 average in 62 games on the road.

Notes: (thru 2002)

CAREER TRANSACTIONS: Selected by Pittsburgh in 1996 June free agent draft (10th round)

ML SERVICE: None

CONTRACT: Signed thru 2003

His seven-year minor league totals include a .281 average (738-for-2624), 71 home runs and 427 RBI in 712 games ... Has walked just 107 times in 2805 minor league plate appearances (once every 26 times at bat).

Recorded only professional sac bunt on 5/8/01 vs. Bowie.

2001

Spent entire season with Altoona ... Rated as the best defensive first baseman in the Eastern League by Baseball America ... Recorded first and only professional sacrifice bunt on 5/8 vs. Bowie ... Matched franchise record with three doubles on 5/17 at New Britain ... Left game on 8/2 at Reading after colliding with Phillies' Brian Harris at first base ... Was on D.L. with a strained right knee from 8/3 thru 8/18 ... Hit just .121 (4-for-33) in 12 games during the month of August ... Made 100 appearances at first base (10 errors) and one in left field (7/28 vs. Binghamton).

2000...
Spent entire season with Lynchburg (A) ... Missed 64 games from 5/17 thru 7/23 with a sprained right wrist ... Spent a week on rehab with Bradenton from 7/23-30 ... Struck out just 34 times in 233 at bats with Lynchburg, but walked just six times ... Made 60 appearances at first base and committed just one error (throwing error on 8/13 at Kinston) ... Had four-hit game on 8/2 at Winston-Salem ... Led the team with a .324 average while batting with runners in scoring position ... Hit .353 (6-for-17) with two solo home runs in the Carolina League playoffs.

1999...
Spent entire season with Hickory (A) ... Finished second in the South Atlantic League batting race and fifth in RBI ... Ranked fourth in Pittsburgh organization in hitting ... Established minor league career high in RBI ... Recorded 10-game hitting streak from 5/19-28, raising season average from .291 to .333 ... Hit .374 in 25 games during the month of May (37-for-99), scored 21 runs and knocked in 28 ... Tossed an inning of relief vs. Columbus on 6/4 (1.0ip/2h/1r/1er/0bb/0so) ... Hit safely in 22 of his 23 games from 7/27 thru 8/20 ... Batted .432 (19-for-44) during a 10-game hitting streak from 7/27 thru 8/6 and .383 (18-for-47) during a season-high 12-game streak from 8/9-20 ... Hit .370 in 28 games during the month of August and .385 (55-for-143) in his final 36 games of the season ... Made all 114 defensive appearances at first base and made 15 errors.

1998...
Split season between Augusta (A) and Lynchburg ... Combined to hit .270 with nine home runs and 69 RBI in 116 games with the two clubs ... Made 70 appearances at first base (six errors) while playing with Augusta and three in the outfield ... Also made 23 appearances at first base with Lynchburg and committed two errors.

1997...
Spent season with Augusta ... Led club in games, hits and RBI ... Made 97 appearances at first base (six errors) and one in the outfield.

1996...
Spent first professional season with Bradenton after being selected by Pittsburgh in the 10th round of the June draft ... Led club in at bats, hits, total bases (75) and RBI ... Shared team lead in home runs ... Made all 35 defensive appearances at first base and made six errors.

2000

Spent entire season with Lynchburg (A) ... Missed 64 games from 5/17 thru 7/23 with a sprained right wrist ... Spent a week on rehab with Bradenton from 7/23-30 ... Struck out just 34 times in 233 at bats with Lynchburg, but walked just six times ... Made 60 appearances at first base and committed just one error (throwing error on 8/13 at Kinston) ... Had four-hit game on 8/2 at Winston-Salem ... Led the team with a .324 average while batting with runners in scoring position ... Hit .353 (6-for-17) with two solo home runs in the Carolina League playoffs.

1999

Spent entire season with Hickory (A) ... Finished second in the South Atlantic League batting race and fifth in RBI ... Ranked fourth in Pittsburgh organization in hitting ... Established minor league career high in RBI ... Recorded 10-game hitting streak from 5/19-28, raising season average from .291 to .333 ... Hit .374 in 25 games during the month of May (37-for-99), scored 21 runs and knocked in 28 ... Tossed an inning of relief vs. Columbus on 6/4 (1.0ip/2h/1r/1er/0bb/0so) ... Hit safely in 22 of his 23 games from 7/27 thru 8/20 ... Batted .432 (19-for-44) during a 10-game hitting streak from 7/27 thru 8/6 and .383 (18-for-47) during a season-high 12-game streak from 8/9-20 ... Hit .370 in 28 games during the month of August and .385 (55-for-143) in his final 36 games of the season ... Made all 114 defensive appearances at first base and made 15 errors.

1998

Split season between Augusta (A) and Lynchburg ... Combined to hit .270 with nine home runs and 69 RBI in 116 games with the two clubs ... Made 70 appearances at first base (six errors) while playing with Augusta and three in the outfield ... Also made 23 appearances at first base with Lynchburg and committed two errors.

1997

Spent season with Augusta ... Led club in games, hits and RBI ... Made 97 appearances at first base (six errors) and one in the outfield.

1996

Spent first professional season with Bradenton after being selected by Pittsburgh in the 10th round of the June draft ... Led club in at bats, hits, total bases (75) and RBI ... Shared team lead in home runs ... Made all 35 defensive appearances at first base and made six errors.