FINAL GRADES: Leo Rivas Might Factor Into Seattle Mariners Plans With Solid Season
The Seattle Mariners have a lot of different ways to improve in the offseason.
There are several big-name free agents, potential trade acquisitions and minor leaguers on the fringe of being ready for a major league call-up.
There's also a way for the Mariners to potentially improve by giving in-house players more opportunities.
Infielder Leo Rivas had one of the best stories out of any player on Seattle's roster. Rivas spent nine years in the minor leagues before getting called up to the majors for the first time in 2024.
Rivas played just six games total after being called up twice in April and June.
But after starting shortstop JP Crawford suffered a fractured pinky, Rivas received his third and final call-up of the season on July 23.
Rivas filled in admirably while Crawford was on the shelf and remained on the major league roster through the end of the season.
And Rivas' showing in 2024 might guarantee that he's not going back to the minor leagues anytime soon.
Leo Rivas by the numbers
Games played: 43
Hitting stats: .233 BA, 0 HR, 8 RBIs, 10 Runs, 1 Double, 1 Triple, 10 BB, 24 SOs, .333 OBP, .274 SLG, .607 OPS, 0.3 WAR
Defensive stats: 75 TC, 2 Errors, .973 Fielding
Base running stats: 3 SB, 0 CS, 28.3 MPH Sprint Speed
Advanced hitting stats: 88 wRC+, -1.1 BRAA, 2% Barrel, 27.5% Hard-Hit, 14.9% Chase, 24.8% Whiff
Advanced defensive stats: -3 Range (OAA), 82.6 MPH Arm Strength
What I liked
Rivas was one of the few positves to come out of the Mariners' injury troubles this season. His defense in place for Crawford admirable. He even was a contributing player on several web-gem plays.
Now that's one way to get out of an inning. Jorge Polanco and Leo Rivas turn an insane double play to end the top of the first... Not sure which side of this flip was more impressive pic.twitter.com/B1yx1bwmkn
— Josh Kirshenbaum (@J_Kirshenbaum) August 11, 2024
He was also exactly the kind of slap-stick hitter you want in the bottom of the lineup.
Power is not Rivas' game. In case people couldn't tell from his 5-foot-8, 150-pound stature.
But when Rivas hit his stride, he was the perfect bottom-of-the-order batter. The New York Yankees led the league with an 11.6% walk-rate. Rivas matched that rate individually.
Rivas often drew long pitch-counts in his at-bats. If his plate appearance didn't end with a walk, it wasn't uncommon for him to hit a ground ball through the gap or bloop a single to the sweet spot in the shallow outfield.
Rivas was primarily in the nine-hole or the bottom-third of the order. It wasn't an uncommon sight to see Rivas on base with the top-third of the lineup (Victor Robles, Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh) up to bat.
Rivas hit .261 against breaking balls compared to a .250 average against fastballs, according to Baseball Savant.
Best game
Rivas started to hit his stride beginning in the middle of August. From Aug. 17-24, Rivas recorded a base hit in six consecutive games where he started.
Rivas' "Mariner moment" happened on the tail end of that stretch. On Aug. 23 in a 6-5, extra-inning win against the San Francisco Giants, Rivas went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. He also drew a walk.
Rivas' second hit was a walk-off RBI single that kicked off a three-game sweep for Seattle over San Francisco.
Kept fighting. Got the W. #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/AM1ZixTWzV
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 24, 2024
Future prospects
Rivas is under team control for several seasons due to his contract being selected in 2024. He's projected to earn $800,000 in 2025 and is up for pre-arbitration in 2026 according to Spotrac.
When Crawford was activated off the injured list, there were questions about whether or not Rivas would get sent back down to Triple-A Tacoma or if the team would keep him on the roster.
Rivas remained on the Mariners 26-man roster through the end of the year, which could definitely be seen as a vote of confidence for Rivas.
The only issue is that opportunities for Rivas might be limited. Barring a trade, Crawford is going to remain the starting shortstop. If Seattle does decline Jorge Polanco's option, then the team will have several players that they could play at second.
Rivas, prospect Cole Young and Triple-A infielder Ryan Bliss are all candidates to take over second in 2025. There's also several potential players the Mariners could acquire on the trade market.
There's a chance that Rivas could take over at third base. But the most likely option for that position is that the team either sticks with Josh Rojas or goes after someone in free agency or via trade.
But barring a masterclass of an offseason, it's unlikely there will be enough solid infielders on the team to keep Rivas off the 26-man roster come Opening Day in 2025.
Final grade: C
C: With how I've talked about Rivas, a "C" might be a surprising grade.
But the justification is simple: he really only played when Crawford was hurt.
From Aug. 30-Sept. 29, Rivas didn't record a base hit and was walked just four times.
This season was Rivas' first in the big leagues. And it's hard to make any final conclusions based on such a small sample size of 43 games. But Rivas definitely looked like a "rhythm" player. He got better the more opportunities he received.
When Crawford was activated, Rivas was mainly used as a pinch-hitter and a pinch-runner. He received just 10 total at-bats in September after having 57 in July and August.
For comparison, Rivas' batting average was at .288 after his walk-off hit against the Giants. When the season ended, it dropped down to .233.
If Rivas isn't in a starting role in 2025, that doesn't spell good news for his effectiveness. But if he does get a spot in the opening day lineup, then Rivas will have the chance to write the next chapter in his decade-long journey.
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