Pivotal year for Luis Rivas

La Velle E. Neal III
Star Tribune

FORT MYERS, FLA. -- At 21, Luis Rivas was a hot prospect. Quick. Flashy with the glove. A base stealer. A potential mainstay at second base.

At 23, inconsistencies in the field and poor discipline at the plate led to criticism. More began to be demanded of him.

At. 25, Rivas now has his name written in the lineup with an eraser nearby. The coaching staff's patience is expiring.

There are some sure things on the 2005 Twins as the first full-squad workout takes place today. The Soul Patrol outfield. The top 10 pitchers return from last season. But Rivas, once considered a top young infielder, has to make himself a sure thing again.

He played in only 109 games last season, partly because of a groin injury but also because the club decided to use Michael Cuddyer at second base, including in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Yankees.

"I'm sure that made a statement to him about the coming season," said Twins coach Al Newman, who works with infielders.

Yes it did. Rivas admitted sitting on the bench last season got to him.

"I want to play every day," Rivas said. "I want to get 500 at-bats and see what happens. See the difference."

Rivas, as usual, played winter ball in Venezuela during the offseason. But he's also noticeably fitter after losing about 10 pounds; he was listed at 5-11, 186 pounds last season. He reported to camp before pitchers and catchers were scheduled to report, a first for him. He also had bone chips removed from his right elbow during the offseason.

So he's in shape and eager. But will it help his concentration and focus?

Rivas batted .256 last season with 10 homers, 34 RBI and a career-low .283 on-base percentage.

He committed just three errors in 109 games, but that doesn't always tell the whole story.

Coaches say they believe Rivas would be a better player if he worked harder. Hitting coach Scott Ullger has told Rivas this spring that most players have a daily routine to keep their hitting skills sharp. Rivas doesn't.

Newman has told Rivas he needs to focus more defensively. With better positioning, they say, he can get to more balls.

Rivas has some things going for him. He stole 15 bases in 16 tries last season and is 32-for-40 over the past two seasons. And, Newman said he feels Rivas turns the double play as well as anyone.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was asked how far Rivas has to go to reach his potential.

"He's still a young man," Gardenhire said. "Rivas has been in the big leagues three, four years now, and he's still only 25, 26 years old. We looked for him to show some improvement last year, especially with the strike zone and some of the things he did and does defensively in the game -- holding runners without you having to yell out there.

"He understands the game. We just want a little more concentration out of him on an everyday basis -- that's all we're looking for out of Luis. Instead of sitting up in the clubhouse playing cards, and us having to say 'go to work' every day, we want him to take hold of that himself and start doing [it]."

Newman is committed to helping Rivas reach his potential.

"With Cristian Guzman, I had a few key words or catch phrases to get to him," Newman said. "With Rivas I have not, and I give myself a backhand on that because as an infield coach I'm supposed to be able to figure those things out."

There's a month's worth of spring training games yet to be played. The Twins have bigger concerns, such as finding a starting shortstop and determining whether Joe Mauer will be healthy enough to be an everyday catcher.

The Twins hope Rivas doesn't give them another position to worry about.

"Yeah, I want to prove something," Rivas said while dressing for the workout. "I wanted to get down here early and do the best I can."

Fading hope

Luis Rivas was considered a future star when he broke in with a strong rookie season in 2001. But injuries and inconsistent play have put him in a position of needing a strong spring to retain his starting job. A comparison of his rookie season, and 2004:

Year Avg.  G  AB  R   H  2B 3B HR RBI SB OBP  Slug.
2001 .266 153 563 70 150 21  6  7 47  31 .319 .362
2004 .256 109 336 44  86 19  5 10 34  15 .283 .432