money ‘I got this’: Emmanuel Rivera brings quiet confidence, natural ability to Diamondbacks lineup
It was the late innings of the last game of the minor league season, and then-Kansas City Royals prospect Emmanuel Rivera needed a hit. His hitting coach, Jesus Azuaje, had been tracking the race for the South Atlantic League batting crown, and he knew Rivera was about to come a fraction of a point short of winning.
“I said, ‘Hey, right now, you need to get a hit. Not walk, not hit by a pitch -- you need to get a hit,’” Azuaje recalled. “He looked at me and I still remember that smile, and he said, ‘I got this.’ And then he hit a bullet off the center field wall in Hagerstown.”
Since his early days in the minors, Rivera has been both a pure hitter and a confident one, attributes that help to explain why he is such an intriguing pickup for the Diamondbacks, who acquired him from the Royals at the trade deadline earlier this month.
Through nine games with his new team, Rivera, 26, has put on an impressive display, spraying balls to all fields with power. He is 11 for 31 (.355) with three doubles, four homers and four walks for the Diamondbacks. He has also played a capable third base, showing good hands and a strong arm.
None of this seems to come as a surprise to some of those who knew him best with the Royals, who drafted him in the 19th round in 2015 out of Puerto Rico.
“He’s very savvy when it comes to hitting,” said Abraham Nunez, a hitting coach in the Royals’ system who had Rivera for two seasons. “He understands the strike zone. He understands who he is as a hitter. He has an identity as a hitter that is very clear.”
Nunez recalls having conversations with Rivera about hitting that he is seldom able to have with hitters so young. He remembered presenting data to Rivera about his tendencies at the plate. He expected the information would surprise him. Instead, Rivera was well aware.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” Nunez said. “He was ahead of the curve for his age at the time.”
Rivera is said to be a natural line-drive hitter with an all-fields approach. He does not chase much, nor does he swing and miss an excessive amount. In 2017, the year he won the batting title on the last day of the season, Rivera hit .310. His power output was limited until 2021, when he connected for 19 homers in just 270 at-bats with Triple-A Omaha.
“It’s a normal progression in players,” Rivera said, speaking through interpreter Alex Arpiza. “The older you get, you get that manly strength as you develop.”
For some hitters, power is often the last tool to develop, and people with the Royals have been expecting it to come for Rivera for years.
“It’s a little bit untapped right now,” said Omaha manager Scott Thorman, who coached Rivera at multiple stops in the minors. “But what you saw the other night is a good indication of what he can do.”
Thorman was referring to a Rivera’s opposite-field homer against Rockies right-hander Jose Urena, whose 96 mph fastball was hit on a line over the right-field fence at Chase Field.
“It’s always been in there,” Thorman said. “When he turns on the ball, that’s really when he hits his power stride. I think there’s a lot in the tank in that regard with him. He’s really finding his power stroke.”
Rivera is said to be quiet in the clubhouse, but the part of his personality his former coaches all reference is his confidence. Nunez saw it firsthand in A-ball at a time when Rivera was going through a miserable slump.
“He goes, ‘You know what? These guys are getting me out now, but they’re going to regret it later,’” Nunez said. “I said, ‘What are you talking about?’ He said, ‘This is a different level. I’m figuring it out. When I get hot, they’re not going to be able to stop me.’
“He had the kind of self-confidence that you want every hitter to have. He believes that nobody can beat him.”
Said Rivera: “The most difficult thing to do in baseball is to hit. You always have to maintain a positive mind-set. That’s the type of player I’ve always been.”
The Royals have a slew of players who either have played third in the majors this year or are expected to be options at the position in the near future. That depth made it easier for them to part with Rivera. He joins a Diamondbacks organization that had been looking for months to add a right-handed bat to the infield.
“That’s going to be a good opportunity for him to be able to play more, play every day, and be able to put up some numbers,” Azuaje said. “I think if you give him the opportunity to go out there and play every day, he will put up good numbers.”
Said Nunez: “He’s going to shine if he gets an opportunity to play. He’s the type of player that the more he plays the better he gets.”
Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Emmanuel Rivera brings quiet confidence to Diamondbacks lineup
