Alejandro Rivero signs with Chicago Cubs
BOISE, Idaho (BVM) – The Chicago Cubs may have added a diamond in the rough to their rebuild. Alejandro Rivero has signed with the Cubs and will most likely see himself in High A ball at South Bend for the 2022 season. Rivero earned his spot by performing well this past season with the Boise Hawks, a former minor league affiliate of the Cubs. Although Alejandro can be considered an unknown in a major league system, he has proven he can perform at a higher level.
Alejandro Rivero left Cuba in 2015 to play at Broward College. He then transferred to play three seasons with St. Thomas University in Miami. Prior to the pandemic, Rivero hit .306 with 15 HRs in 2019. He landed second-team all-conference that year and hit .301 in the campaign of the pandemic. In 2021, the Cuban infielder signed with the Boise Hawks and put up fantastic numbers.
In just 58 games, the 24-year-old hit 20 HRs, 21 doubles, and 70 RBIs. Alejandro also added an impressive batting line: .352 BA / .401 OBP / .668 SLG / 1.069 OPS. Boise’s in-game announcer, Leonard Barry, had bright things to say about the Hawk’s slugger.
“Alejandro was a great addition to the team this year and what makes his numbers even more impressive is that he didn’t even join the team until July 5, so he played just over half the season. The Cubs can expect to get a great bat and a very hard worker in Alejandro.”
Rivero ended on top of the Pioneer League average OPS by 200 points. He also tied the Hawk’s all-time single-season record for HRs and third in RBIs and TBs. Rivero has clearly been on a different level with his bat but there are question marks around his age and level of competition he has played with that can limit his opportunities to make it to the big stage.
“I think the one improvement Alejandro could make going into affiliated ball is working on bat speed, the pitching will be much better at the next level and being able to be quick with the bat will allow him to have more time to watch pitches come in.”
The Cubs finished the season 20 games under .500 after trading away Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez. Chicago has a big hole to fill as they look to replace the dynamic trio that brought Chicago their first world series in over a century. The Cubs will most likely not have any of their current top 30 MLB prospects ready for the 2022 season. Eight of the Cub’s top 30 prospects are SS/3B. Seven of the eight are under 20 years old. Chicago’s options to find a solid replacement will be limited even further if they fail to sign or trade for talent like Trevor Story. This could be an opportunity for Rivero if his numbers can translate to next season.
