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Luis Rivera is the new manager of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.  Previously Rivera was a utilty infielder who totalled 2215 major league at-bats over eleven seasons from 1986 - 1998.  Rivera was a coach in the Cleveland Indians minor and major league systems until the end of last season.  I spoke with Rivera last weekend when the Fisher Cats were in Erie.  Here is the transcript of the conversation.



BB: You have a had a pretty good season to this point, although the last week has been a bit of a tougher slog, is that just normal ups and downs or were you hurt when you lost some players to AAA?

LR: No, when we lost those guys we continued to play well.  This is a cycle, baseball goes in cycles, and right now the guys are throwing the ball well, the last four or five days we haven't swung the bats well.  We are capable of swinging the bats a lot better than that and that's why we went through that little hump.  But last night we had better at-bats and we hope to continue to do that.

BB: Kyle Drabek is a new player to the organization.  What have you seen in him this season that will get him to the big leagues?

LR: This is a guy who has a good fastball, and good breaking ball and a change-up and he just has to put it all together.  A couple of starts ago he gave up eight innings, three hits, no walks and he is capable of doing that when he is consistent with his wind-up, his delivery.  What is going to make him a better pitcher is his mechanics straight to the plate.  His arm is there, he has to stay back on the rubber and have a good sound wind-up.  His arm will take him to the big leagues, he has to make sure his mechanics are good.

BB: He has given up a few too many walks, so that's it, he needs to get his mechanics corrected?

LR: Yes.

BB: Zach Stewart did not have a good start to the season, his April numbers were not good but he has been pitching better since then.  What has made the difference for him?

LR: He pitched, then we pulled him out for several days, and since then he has been pitching better.  He is attacking the strike zone, now he is keeping the ball down and throwing to both sides of the plate.  He is throwing the sinker in, he is throwing it away.  Now his slider is getting better and he is getting outs with it.

BB: Last year when the Jays acquired him there was discussion as to whether he could be a starter or a reliever.  Does he have a third pitch developing or a fourth so he could be a major league starter?

LR: We have to give him time, he is a young kid and it is a process.  You cannot rush him.  if you want him to throw in the big leagues this year you have to take some pitches away from him amd have him throw sinker, sliders.  But if you want to develop him as a starter you have to take a little time and let him develop a feel for the change-up and the other stuff.  Right now that is what he is doing.  He is getting a good feel for the change up and he is throwing it more and we have to continue to get him to do that.

BB: Another player who had a slow start but it now playing better is Adam Loewen.  Has he improved or is he having better luck?

LR: He has really improved since spring training.  I watched him in spring training and I see a guy just trying to hit the ball without any purpose.  Now he is trying to hit the ball with purpose, where it is pitched.  Now he is using the whole field, coming out of spring training he was trying to hit to right field, trying to create power to right field.  But he found out trying to do that his average is going nowhere.  Now he is hitting the ball up the middle, hitting the other way, he is driving the ball both ways now.  At home he hit a 380 foot homer to left centre, that is telling me right there that he is staying through the ball and driving the ball.  That has been the difference and that is why he is a better hitter now.

BB: Defensively do you think his defense is good enough to be an outfielder in the major leagues?

LR: Yes, right now he is an average outfielder but he can still improve because he is a tireless worker and during batting practice he always works on it.  He takes pride on it and he has a good arm.  He has been a big surprise for me because I didn't expect that from a guy who was pitching a couple of years ago.

BB: Eric Thames didn't play a lot for the Blue Jays before this season because of injuries.  Is it just a case of getting playing time now or is there something he needs to do to get to AAA?

LR: Both.  Before this season this kid had about 216 at-bats and he is already in AA.  Thta is very good and he is hitting around .270 with 12 home runs and almost 50 RBI's, he is one of the top guys in the league.  With this guy he needs to play more and more and more, to continue to get at-bats, to know himself, to know how they attack him and to know how to hit pitches in different locations.  It's a process, he is going through it right now but all he needs to do is to continue to play.  That's what is going to make him better and I think the more he plays the better he is going to get.

BB: Brian Jeroloman is back for part of a third season in AA.  He didn't hit very well last season but he is hitting better this year.  You didn't see him last season but what do you see in him this year?

LR: He is putting a lot of time in and hitting a lot of extra BP.  When we are home he is taking early hitting every day and Ralphie is doing a great job with him.  He is trying to level that swing instead of an uppercut swing.  we are trying to make him more aggressive at the plate.  He has the best on base percentage in the league but now we want to complement that with aggressive swings.  Don't take so many pitches, if you get a good pitch to hit in a good count then go after that and be more aggressive.  If he does that he is a good hitter, a better hitter.

BB: You have left him at number 9 the whole season, are you going to leave him there?

LR: He is hitting good there, leave him there, that's the way I look at it.

BB: David Cooper, another guy with a slow start but over the last few weeks he has had some big hits for you.

LR: We are trying to make him more aggressive also.  He is only hitting .200 but he is hitting the ball well.  If you look back at the reports there are a lot of hard hit balls, quality at-bats.  But there are a lot of fly balls to left field, we want him to be more aggressive and turn on some pitches.  He did that for two weeks and hit five or six home runs and drove in fifteen runs.  He is cooling off a little again but he is there, we just have to push him and get the best out of him.

BB: Danny Farquhar is back in AA and his ERA is much higher this season.  Is there something happening or is he just unlucky?

LR: I think that is the result of two or three games but there are a lot of games that he pitched great for us.  He is leading the league in saves so he is throwing good but there was one game where he gave up four runs and another game where he gave up five runs in one inning.  And if you are a reliever and you give up four or five runs in one inning that is a killer right there, it will kill your ERA.  So I don't really look at the ERA, I look at the days he pitched to save a game and how did he do it.  How did he do after he blew a game or how did he do after he gave up four runs, that happened twice where he gave up four runs and came back the next day 1-2-3 and got the save.

BB: He walks too many guys.  I assume Tom (Signore) is working with him to tighten his delivery?

LR: It's tough on him because he throws underarm and overhand.  If you just throw overhand you can work to control that but when you throw both that is twice as much to control.

My voice recorder died at this point so I lost my last Q&A.  I asked Rivera about Shawn Bowman and he said they were working to shorten his swing and that his defense was great.

Batters Box thanks Luis Rivera for his time.

An Interview with Luis Rivera | 26 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Gerry - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 11:41 AM EDT (#217044) #
John Lott, who was also in Erie this weekend, has a story on Tim Collins and Trystan Magnuson in the National Post today.
Mike Green - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 11:49 AM EDT (#217046) #
Thanks, Gerry. 

I am not so crazy about Rivera's comments regarding Jeroloman.  When a 25 year old is hitting for power, drawing walks and striking out a lot but still hitting .290, "we want him to be more aggressive" seems to me to be unhelpful.  The organization has plenty of aggressive hitters who strike out plenty and do not draw walks.  There is a balance between the approaches (aggressivity and discipline) which each player finds, but it seems to me that Jeroloman has found the right place for himself this year and it is a place that is complementary to others in the organization.

It looks to me that the organization has decided that Arencibia will be given the next shot at the catcher's job, regardless of his performance.  In Rod Barajas' first season in the majors at age 28, he hit .249/.276/.453 with 13 homers, 13 walks and 63 strikeouts in 358 at-bats.  That looks about right for Arencibia, and if so, it will be one more bat with the same characteristics as the rest of the lineup.  Meh.

Sneeps - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 12:12 PM EDT (#217051) #
24 year old JP Arencibia's career AAA #'s though 169 games:

.240 avg., 47 doubles, 2 triples, 34 homers, 109 rbi's, 39 walks, 159 k's

not the best average and plate discipline, but it doesn't stop him from being a very productive offensive catcher with good defensive skills.  being that's he's young or on average age for his league, i think he has a great shot at being an everyday player.  potentially an all-star.


FisherCat - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 12:15 PM EDT (#217053) #

re: Farquar.  I noted earlier this year that he was throwing exclusively 3/4.  Fast fwd a few weeks to last night and low & behold...he's throwing exclusively submarine style.  With far less velocity than when he throws 3/4.

He did seem to have a better command of the zone than I've seen in the past.  Gerry, do you have a sense from Jays' brass which style they perfer from Danny?  In your view, what style will get him farther?

  • 3/4 release = 94-97mph
  • submarine = 89-92mph

Hmmm?

John Northey - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 12:29 PM EDT (#217055) #
A submarine pitch at 90 mph would be a killer for many hitters. The key for Farquar isn't his release but his control though. 4 1/2 walks per 9 won't get him to the show. Cut that to 2 or 3 per 9 and he'll be here soon (assuming his K's stay high and HR low).
92-93 - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 12:32 PM EDT (#217057) #

He has the best on base percentage in the league but now we want to complement that with aggressive swings.  Don't take so many pitches, if you get a good pitch to hit in a good count then go after that and be more aggressive.

This is very disturbing. The guy is hitting .301/.454/.503 and his manager is getting into his head that he should be taking a different approach at the plate?! Does he really not realize that his league-leading OBP is a function of his "less-aggressive" swings, and that if he started swinging from the shoe tops that would change? He talks about the two complementing each other, as if that's something players all over MLB do with regularity; they tend not to. I feel for Jeroloman, because he probably sits there in batting practice thinking that his only chance of climbing the ladder is by pacifying his manager, and that could have a damaging effect on his future. Everybody knew the HR well would dry up for the Blue Jays, and they are showing it now with their lack of offense and the worst BA and OBP in the league.

Ryan Day - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 12:34 PM EDT (#217058) #
Love that picture of Collins & Magnuson side by side. It's a pretty good story, too.
cascando - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 01:36 PM EDT (#217062) #

Jeroloman obviously has a great slash line, but it is being sustained by an absurdly high BABIP.  Last time I checked, he was also striking out at a prolific rate.  I don't see anything wrong with improving a hitters approach (even when his results are good) when underlying factors point to those results being anomolous.   We know Jeroloman can take a walk, but perhaps he can get better at going after his pitch when he sees it.  I still think he's a better prospect than Arencibia.

Gerry - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 02:02 PM EDT (#217064) #

Jeroloman:  when I heard Rivera say that about Brian I thought to myself this is the exact same thing I have been hearing about Jeroloman for three years now.  Dick scott had the exact same comment two years ago.   What the coaches are saying is that Jeroloman will often take pitches until he has two strikes on him.  The Jays want him to hit a hittable pitch even if it is early in the count.  That is the same message Cito and Murph emphasise all the time.  I don't think Cito would be impressed by Jerolomans approach.  In AA a hitter might get two good pitches to hit per at-bat, in the majors it might be one.  That is why they try and get the hitters to be more aggressive.

When I saw Farquhar last week he was throwing mainly from underneath as well.  Rivera or Signore didn't say they had a preference, I still have to listen back to the Signore interview.  My recollection is that Signore felt that Farquhar's wildness was mental, that he was trying to be too fine.  That could be it but he should have more confidence at this point.  Rivera's answer might have something to it, the constant change might be impacting his ability to throw strikes.  

Maybe Farquhar's throwing exclusively from down-under is an attempt to master that style of pitching.  On Saturday the hitters were fouling off a lot of pitches, it wasn't that Farquhar was very wild, it was more that he was unable to finish the hitters.  Signore said the next day that he wasn't happy with the pitch selection but still it was a little concerning that the at-bats lasted so long even if they did end with an out.

92-93 - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 02:13 PM EDT (#217067) #

I don't see anything wrong with improving a hitters approach (even when his results are good) when underlying factors point to those results being anomolous.

If the underlying factors are BABIP, I find a lot wrong with that. However, if you tell me his "advanced" batted ball statistics are the problem, like a terrible LD% or abnormally high HR/FB%, you may have something there. However, you could drop 100 points off each part of his slash line due to luck and I still think of him as a valuable commodity if his defense is as advertised. When you consider that the organization already has what guys like Rivera & Clarence are looking for in Arencibia, I don't want Jeroloman changing an approach that leads to a 22% walk rate and would likely translate well to the MLB level. The worst thing that can happen for a player is getting stuck somewhere in between these two approaches, because it's tough for a tiger to change his stripes.

Spifficus - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 02:43 PM EDT (#217072) #
When Jeroloman's portfolio contained an ISO that started with .0 and his only value was derived from walks, he was not going to make the majors. He needed to try to hit the ball with more authority, and that sounds like the approach they've been working with him on. ML pitchers would eat the passive approach alive. As opposed to being another supposed indictment of the Clarance approach, this change (which I'm assuming didn't just happen) has actually breathed life into Jeroloman's prospect status... with a little help from a .446 BABIP.
Mike Green - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 02:59 PM EDT (#217074) #
Yeah I know, Gerry.  When a hitter is not hitting for power (as Jeroloman was in 08-09), too much selectivity can be a real problem.  It's different when the IsoP is over .200.  Somehow this year, he is obviously picking pitches that he can drive and this acts as something of a deterrent.  When Mark McGwire came up, his biggest weakness might very well have been pitches right over the middle of the plate.

Jeroloman is obviously not McGwire, but he might very be Ernie Whitt and Arencibia is not likely to be better than Buck Martinez.  The organization does seem to have a preference for players with power and without plate discipline, and this might be a problem. 




Mike Green - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 03:06 PM EDT (#217075) #
Spifficus, if Rivera had said "Brian has been driving the ball real well, and if he keeps that up, he will go far", that would have been fine.  Instead, there is an effort to change an approach for a 25 year old that is working.  Or he could have said, "Brian has been great, but has had some trouble with left-handed pitchers.  He is working on hanging in better against off-speed stuff...". 

92-93 - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 03:34 PM EDT (#217076) #

When Jeroloman's portfolio contained an ISO that started with .0 and his only value was derived from walks, he was not going to make the majors

Right, because Jose Molina, Raul Chavez, Jason Phillips, Ken Huckaby, Kevin Cash, Alberto Castillo, and Mike Matheny were real mashers...

ML pitchers would eat the passive approach alive.

I've heard this for years about Nick Johnson - it isn't true. If it were simply a case of throwing the guy fastballs down the middle because he never swings, Johnson would have stopped posted .400+ OBPs a long time ago.

As opposed to being another supposed indictment of the Clarance approach, this change (which I'm assuming didn't just happen) has actually breathed life into Jeroloman's prospect status... with a little help from a .446 BABIP.

I'm thoroughly confused. You certainly are reading Rivera's quotes in a different manner than I am, because it sounds to me as if he wants him to work on what he's currently doing, and not that his positive results are the benefit of work they have been doing since the beginning of the season. And then you talk about a ballooning prospect status (which I don't agree with, he's still the same backup C to me), but discount it by pointing out his BABIP, as if to say that his current results, a likely product of the Clarence approach, aren't as real as they appear. That's the direct opposite of what cascando was saying.

Spifficus - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 03:36 PM EDT (#217077) #
I'm assuming that the adjustments have been going on all this year, since it makes no sense to take a guy having success and saying, "You know what'd be fun? Changing your swing!". If that's the case, isn't it more likely that his success this year is attributable to the change in approach instead of at risk because of it? There isn't really a timeframe in the reply, so my assumption is not a certainty, but it reads to me as though a lot of work has already gone into it.

Prior to this year, his approach hasn't been working. He took walks, sure, but he wasn't hitting for average, nor power. ML pitching seemed destined to exploit that. With the reported change in approach, at least he has a shot now.
Spifficus - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 04:03 PM EDT (#217079) #

I've heard this for years about Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson isn't really a good counterpoint - there are consequences to throwing hitable strikes to Johnson. He has a career .170+ ISO, and in the minors was never below .100 (with 3 of his 4 full-season years above .200). For Jeroloman, there wasn't a disincentive. If his .200 ISO indicates some real improvement in hitting the ball with authority, that changes.

I'm thoroughly confused. You certainly are reading Rivera's quotes in a different manner than I am, because it sounds to me as if he wants him to work on what he's currently doing, and not that his positive results are the benefit of work they have been doing since the beginning of the season. And then you talk about a ballooning prospect status (which I don't agree with, he's still the same backup C to me), but discount it by pointing out his BABIP, as if to say that his current results, a likely product of the Clarence approach, aren't as real as they appear. That's the direct opposite of what cascando was saying.

We definitely read the quote differently, but the quote itself lends itself to both interpretations. To me, it sounds more like the middle of the process as opposed to the start - reading like there's already been a lot of work put in, and a lot to come.

Given my interpretation, and the possibility that he has learned a new skill (hitting the ball with authority), that would resurrect his prospect status (not balloning - a walks-only AA hitter isn't a prospect to me). If he can hit for enough power to keep pitchers from filling the strikezone, he becomes a decent backup prospect with his reported defense.

The BABIP note was to indicate that there is luck at play as well. It doesn't negate everything else I said, but tempers it significantly, to the point where our end positions appear to agree - he currently projects to be a ML backup (for me, as long as some of the power holds).

slitheringslider - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 04:45 PM EDT (#217085) #
Becoming more aggressive at the plate is not a bad thing. When Kevin Youkilis first came up, the knock on him was that he was simply taking too many pitches, and not aggressive enough at the plate. He was not making the pitchers pay to get into pitchers count, and thus putting himself in situations where pitchers have an enormous advantage. Youkilis still has great plate discipline, but he is more willing to swing at good pitches in early counts, pitchers stop throwing meatballs down the middle to get ahead, he get into more hitters count and voila, he is a perennial all-star candidate. I'm not saying Jeroloman is going to be the next Kevin Youkilis, but I just want to showcase that being too discipline can be unproductive.
cascando - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 05:25 PM EDT (#217094) #
Agression under control.  That is what Harvey Dorfman teaches.  And it appears to be Cito's philosophy.  I don't know why anyone would read that quote to imply "we don't like what he is doing this year in particular, and we need to change him immediately."  Jeroloman's approach is obviously working well this year but as I mentioned, the BABIP figure (.446) indicates a pretty serious luck factor at play.  His LD% is very high, but he simply isn't as good as his slash line implies. His coaches have, for years, identified an area that neesd improvment, so why not work on improving it?
92-93 - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 06:58 PM EDT (#217099) #
Where does one find minor league LD%s?
Spifficus - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 07:03 PM EDT (#217100) #
First Inning or Minor League Splits are the two I usually use.
Spifficus - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 07:13 PM EDT (#217102) #

Yay, fail! Trying again... www.firstinning.com and www.minorleaguesplits.com

92-93 - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 07:14 PM EDT (#217103) #
Thanks and wow, that's a nice looking 27.8 LD% for Jeroloman. Let's hope for an effective Arencibia/Jeroloman platoon someday.
TamRa - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 10:12 PM EDT (#217105) #
Well, given that JPA is hitting RH much better than lefties and Jeroloman can't hit lefties at all even this year...


Mike Green - Wednesday, June 16 2010 @ 11:03 PM EDT (#217108) #
The batted ball info for Jeroloman is wild- 22% ground balls, 27% line drives and 51% fly balls.  When he has hit the ball, he has done exactly what a catcher should do with it.  The anti-Kenny Wilson. 
ayjackson - Thursday, June 17 2010 @ 12:21 AM EDT (#217112) #

I'm a bit skeptical of that hit data at AA and lower.  I know last year it was based on a limited samples of games.  They used to show a hit chart and from that you could tell how many games the batted ball data was derived from.  I can't tell whether it's limited this year or not.

Spifficus - Thursday, June 17 2010 @ 01:46 AM EDT (#217114) #

I'm a bit skeptical of that hit data at AA and lower. I know last year it was based on a limited samples of games. They used to show a hit chart and from that you could tell how many games the batted ball data was derived from. I can't tell whether it's limited this year or not.

I know you're talking about First Inning, but Minor Leage Splits sucks in the play-by-play logs for each game. As long as there's one of these available, the data should be counted. My hesitation on the batted ball info is based on the scorers' non-standardized calls of LD vs FB. GB rate should be quite reliable though, and that's where Jeroloman has made a real jump forward.

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