• Full name Christopher Rivera
  • Born 03/10/1995 in Anaheim, CA
  • Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 150 / Bats: R / Throws: R
  • School El Dorado
  • Drafted in the 7th round (215th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013 (signed for $150,000).
    View Draft Report
    Rivera is one of the biggest enigmas of the 2013 draft. Scouts love his premium defensive skills, but his bat scares them. He hit just .194 as a junior. He has been somewhat better as a senior but was still batting a modest .321 with nine doubles, two triples and a home run. He generates good bat speed and shows a good swing path and average raw power in batting practice, but he tends to get into yank mode during games. When he stays back and uses the middle of the field, he looks good. Scouts think he has the hand-eye coordination to improve as a hitter with professional instruction. Rivera's defense is his calling card. He's a below-average runner in the 60-yard dash, but his speed plays fringe-average in games, and he has excellent range at shortstop because of his instincts and first-step quickness. His hands and footwork are special, making him a potential plus defensive shortstop with a plus arm. His loose arm gives him a fallback option on the mound, where he has touched 94 mph and shown the ability to spin a breaking ball. Some scouts are intrigued by the notion of putting him behind the plate, where he has shown sub-1.8-second pop times in workouts and has a natural feel for the position.

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