Victor Rivas
| Victor Rivas | |
|---|---|
 Rivas at batting practice in the Dominican Republic | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: April 30, 1992 Isla de la Juventud, Cuba | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's baseball | ||
Representing  Cuba
| ||
| 18U Baseball World Cup | ||
 |
2010 Thunder Bay | Team |
Víctor Rivas Goire (born April 30, 1992), also known as Victor Rivas, is a Cuban professional baseball first baseman. Rivas played for the Cuban National Baseball Team in two international competitions. At age 17 he debuted on the Cuban National Team adult roster, where he played two seasons. At age 19 he attempted to defect from Cuba in 2011, seeking a career in MLB, was unsuccessful in that attempt and got banned by the Cuban government and from participating in baseball for two years. Rivas attempted a second time and was banned from playing one more year. He then leaves the island legally a third time to Haiti where he established residency.
Cuban career and defection
Rivas played for the Cuban National Baseball Team in the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship, during which he stole home on a wild pitch.[1] The International Baseball Federation acknowledged Rivas as the premier player for the Cuban National Team.[2] Cuba won the bronze medal. Rivas also played briefly in the Cuban National Series for Isla de la Juventud in addition to the 2009 World Junior Championship in Barquisimeto, Venezuela.[3] He played on Cuban roster with Jorge Soler, Raisel Iglesias, Yandy Dias, Jesus Balager, Omar Luis and Yander La Oss; all who have signed professional contracts with Major League Baseball Organizations and are currently playing in the Major Leagues and AAA.
Rivas defected from Cuba in 2013 to pursue his career in Major League Baseball (MLB). He established residency in Haiti. Rivas has his MLB free agent's license and is currently eligible to sign a professional contract. During his training in the Dominican Republic, many teams visited and watched Rivas practice.[4] Numerous MLB teams made large contract offers, he was not able to sign; do to improper guidance with paperwork negligence and process delays. Rivas is currently in the US under new representation with valid work permit papers and managed by the Revilla Baseball Group.
Scouting profile
Rivas is 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and weighs 250 pounds (110 kg). He is described as a heavy-hitting infielder who would play first base. Steve Fiorindo, of The Prospect Pipeline, described Rivas in 2015 as a "strong kid. Pretty loud off the bat."[5] According to the IBAF he is acknowledged as the premier player for the Cuban National Team, there were a lot of good players to watch, but beware of Victor Rivas. The IBAF went on describing Rivas as having proved himself very productive with the bat. Rivas is a power asset on any AA or AAA minor league roster, for any MLB team in need of an aggressive international player with exceptional offensive skills. Bat velocity 108 miles per hour.
See also
References
- ^ Mischa Edvard Gelman (September 21, 2015). "2010 World Junior Championship – July 31". BR Bullpen. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ^ Forrest Marketing + Communications and Aki Peltonen Creative Services (July 22, 2010). "PROGRAMME SOUVENIR OFFICIEL" (PDF). ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONALE DE BASEBALL DE THUNDER BAY. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ Suárez Valmaña, Jesús (September 13, 2009). "Panamericano y Pre Mundial juvenil – Listos los 20 peloteros juveniles". Federación Cubana de Béisbol Aficionado. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ Tito Ortiz (October 13, 2015). "Victor Rivas, Cuban baseball player – playlist". YouTube. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ Fiorindo, Steve (October 6, 2015). "The Prospect Pipeline – Twitter feed". The Prospect Pipeline. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- Cuban Baseball Career statistics
- Victor Rivas on Facebook
- Homepage of Victor Rivas, Cuban baseball player