Comments on: Prospect Pulse: Analyzing Up and Coming Prospect T.J. Rivera

By: ED T

ED T — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:08:56 +0000

Making it to the majors is a dream of every youngster who loves the sport. TJ Rivera was no exception. I will always cherish the moments watching him insist that his dad pitch him a ball to bat(wiffle ball & plastic bat) while still in diapers. He’s come a long way since then and his dream to become a professional baseball player has never waivered. We are very proud of him and pray for his continued success.

By: XtreemIcon

XtreemIcon — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 03:31:13 +0000

TJ graduated from my former high school. Right now Bobby Bonilla is the only former Lion to make it to the bigs, so I’m rooting for him extra hard.

By: Chicago Days

Chicago Days — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 03:13:24 +0000

You’re right, Joe D. i must’ve been thinking of Muno. Thanks. Makes TJ all the more intriguing.

By: Mitch Petanick

Mitch Petanick — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 23:51:09 +0000

No problem…I have to look out for fellow Bronxonians

By: Mitch Petanick

Mitch Petanick — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 23:28:55 +0000

Thank you and thanks for reading.

By: StJ Baseball

StJ Baseball — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 22:50:01 +0000

I’m very impressed with what you did here. Nice breakdown.

By: Joe D

Joe D — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:00:54 +0000

Rivera never was involved with PEDs, you may be thinking of Danny Muno.

By: Nilsa & Tommy Rivera

Nilsa & Tommy Rivera — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:44:46 +0000

To Mitch Petanick: Thank you for the article/post. All his NY family, friends and fans appreciate it!
To Chicago Days: You have NOT been tracking the right “T.J.” Rivera. Please check your references…He has Never been suspended for PED or any infraction. You are right with the fact that he is not mentioned often enough. For sure.

By: Mitch Petanick

Mitch Petanick — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 18:10:18 +0000

Thanks MNJ

By: Mitch Petanick

Mitch Petanick — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 18:09:22 +0000

Thanks Joe…I guess all that time I was just trying to find my identity as a writer

By: Mr North Jersey

Mr North Jersey — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:01:12 +0000

Once again nice read Mitch.

By: Joe D

Joe D — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:36:39 +0000

You know I’m still baffled that in all the time you’ve written for MMO, I only found out one month ago that you were so involved with baseball, coaching, analysis and the minors for your entire adult life. That I had to encourage you to do this Prospect Pulse feature instead of Mets pieces is kind of funny now that I think about it. How can you know all this stuff and not once mention it to me? I’m beating my brains trying to find a minor league analyst for the site since last August, and you were under my nose all along. As Ralph Kramden would say – Bang, Zoom….

By: van

van — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:16:50 +0000

it is still an art, not a science!

but, for a non-drafted guy to even make it to AA (I assume he is going there this year, but that could depend on the other 2B options) is probably already beating the odds, so if he can get that far, why not all the way?

I like reading about the “sweet swing”. to me, that gives more hope that he can keep hitting as he moves up, unlike some guys that have big/holey/complicated swings, where they can get away with it against guys without good stuff or control in A ball, but quickly get exposed at higher levels.

By: srt

srt — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:23:00 +0000

I’ll confess to not knowing how players become draft candidates so not sure why this young man wasn’t one of them.

Saying that, our scouts must have saw something worth taking a chance with. So far, sounds like it’s been paying off. Will be interesting to see how he does at AA this season.

By: wasadeyo

wasadeyo — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:13:35 +0000

Very interesting and great article. These types of post add so much

By: Perseus

Perseus — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:09:26 +0000

Best of luck to TJ in the coming season. Sweet swing is right.

By: Chicago Days

Chicago Days — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:07:08 +0000

I’ve been tracking TJ for awhile, got bummed with his PED infraction, but he performed well after that suspension. He’s never mentioned by anybody, but he may be for real. i luv gritty guys like him. For sure.

By: BTF

BTF — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:44:13 +0000

Of course.

By: AV

AV — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:13:38 +0000

“The Cincinnati Reds organization didn’t think much of a second baseman of theirs many years ago as evidenced by their end of season scouting report that stated: “Rose hustles a lot, but he can’t field, throw, or hit.” Yes, that Rose. Sometimes a player just makes things happen. Lets hope that’s the case with Rivera.”

Minus the gambling problem, I hope?

By: BTF

BTF — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:36:12 +0000

Nice job and a very intriguing young player. There have been some rare occasions where undrafted players or players drafted in rounds 40-60 fool everybody and have surprisingly good MLB careers. No one tool stands out, but then there is no accounting for heart and determination. The Cincinnati Reds organization didn’t think much of a second baseman of theirs many years ago as evidenced by their end of season scouting report that stated: “Rose hustles a lot, but he can’t field, throw, or hit.” Yes, that Rose. Sometimes a player just makes things happen. Lets hope that’s the case with Rivera.