RIVERA BLOSSOMS FOR ANGELS.Byline: VINCENT VINCENT Vital Information Necessary Centralized (movie, The Black Hole) BONSIGNORE About a hundred or so kids sitting behind the Angels' dugout oohed and aahed Thursday as Juan Rivera Juan Rivera may refer to:
Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher Michael Vaughn Hatcher (born March 15, 1955 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a former Major League Baseball player and a current coach. Most notably, he was Kirk Gibson's replacement for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1988 World Series, batting .368 (7/19) with two home runs and five RBI. watched from behind the batting cage Noun 1. batting cage - a movable screen placed behind home base to catch balls during batting practice cage baseball equipment - equipment used in playing baseball , but he might as well have been sitting with the kids the way he marveled at Rivera's muscle display. ``This kid is opening a lot of eyes around baseball,'' Hatcher said. ``He's showing he's capable of being a big-time power hitter.'' Later that night, Rivera hit a two-out, score-tying, three-run home run in the eighth inning against Texas, the latest in a string of big hits the young outfielder has produced recently to help the Angels turn their season around. Rivera went deep 11 times in July, tying a team-record for long balls in a month. He now has a career-high 18 home runs -- 12 in the past 26 games -- to go along with 57 RBIs. He has helped rescue the previously floundering Angels from the depths of the American League West The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division currently has four teams, but it has had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. . They started July with a 35-44 record and were in dire need of a power bat to complement Vladimir Guerrero Vladimir Alvino Guerrero (born February 9, 1976 in Don Gregorio, Nizao, Dominican Republic), and known in his native Dominican Republic as Miquéas (Spanish for Micah), is a Major League Baseball right fielder who plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. . Behind Rivera, they rallied to win 19 of 25 games in the month to begin August in second place behind Oakland. ``He's been huge for us,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia Just as important, Rivera might have altered the course of his career. For years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time 27-year-old outfielder carried around the tag, ``Potentially capable of'' like an extra pair of batting gloves Batting gloves are a component in baseball sportswear. The glove covers one or both hands of a batter, providing comfort, heat, improved grip, and shock absorption when hitting the ball. . A gifted hitter with a quiet, compact swing, the former New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Yankees' Minor League Player of the Year (2002) definitely had the tools to be a middle-of-the-order hitter. He just never quite put it all together, and within three years he was traded from New York to Montreal to the Angels. Potentially capable of, it seemed, might end up defining Rivera's career. Not quite good enough to hold on to, but still intriguing enough to ask for in a trade package. After his explosive July, Rivera might have permanently dropped the ``potential'' part. At the very least, he has earned the right to see his name in the lineup every day the rest of the season. ``Obviously we needed someone to step up for us,'' Scioscia said. ``At the time we were struggling offensively and we desperately needed depth in our lineup. Juan, along with some other guys, really got into their game. He put together a month of July that was pretty incredible.'' Not bad for a guy the Angels, after last season, thought of as their fourth outfielder In baseball, a fourth outfielder is a backup outfielder who does not have the hitting skills to regularly play in the corner outfield but does not have the fielding skills to play center field. . Granted, he was coming off a season in which he surpassed career highs in home runs (15) and RBIs (59) in 106 games, but the Angels still envisioned him primarily as a power bat off the bench. But when injuries limited Darin Erstad Darin Charles Erstad (born June 4, 1974 in Jamestown, North Dakota) is a first baseman/center fielder in Major League Baseball currently with the Chicago White Sox. Prior to 2007, he had played his entire career with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim franchise (1996-2006). and Garret Anderson in the outfield, Rivera found himself in the lineup more often. To say he took advantage is an understatement. After shaking off an early season ribcage ribcage Noun the bony structure formed by the ribs that encloses the lungs injury, his season took off. ``It feels good, definitely, because I'm helping the team win and that's important,'' Rivera said. ``And it makes a big difference when you're in the lineup every day. First off, you're just more comfortable. Plus, when you play every day, the numbers will accumulate.'' Hatcher agrees. ``He knows when he gets to the ballpark he's going to play every day, so he's not concerned or worried about that,'' Hatcher said. ``That's a big thing for a ballplayer, because you can settle down and play your game. He's relaxed, and you can tell. As many eyes as he's opened around baseball, I think the most important are his own. He knows what he can do given the playing time.'' Rivera signed a two-year contract after last season, so he has some security. Ideally, he'd like to remain in Anaheim, where the Angels have some question marks in the outfield, with Erstad a free-agent-to-be and Anderson dealing with injuries and age. If Rivera maintains a productive pace, he figures to get a crack at a permanent starting job in 2007. It helps that he can play all three outfield positions. Of course, the way his career has gone, he knows the burden of proof rests in his performance. That's why he takes nothing for granted. ``I know nothing is automatic. I hope I can say that in six or seven years, but I know that's not the case right now,'' Rivera said. ``Coming down this final stretch, I know I have to work even harder. ``I've been given a pretty big opportunity. My goal is to make it count.'' vincent.bonsignore@dailynews.com (818) 713-3612 CAPTION(S): 2 photos, 7 boxes Photo: (1) The Angels' Juan Rivera, who got a chance to play every day, hit 11 home runs in July, tying a team record. Jamie Squire/Getty Images (2) no caption (Josh Rabe) Box: (1) THEY SAID IT (2) WHO'S HOT (3) WHO'S COLD (4) ROOKIE WATCH (5) DAILY NEWS/CBS 2/KCAL 9 SPORTS CENTRAL POWER RANKINGS - Matt McHale (6) SERIES OF THE WEEK (7) NOTES |
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