has leo szn come early?
We didn’t see much of Leo Rivas last year. He made his major league debut in April of 2024 when J.P. Crawford was on the 10-IL with an oblique strain. He actually earned a very specific distinction in that game, collecting the rarest type of hit (triple) his first time at the plate.
But with that fateful first hit out of the way, Rivas’ struggles really began. He spent the 2024 season bouncing back and forth between the Mariners and Tacoma Rainiers, and never got truly settled in either club. For his first leg he spent nearly a month in Seattle, but only got to step up to the plate 6 times in games. Then-manager Scott Servais used him mostly as a defensive replacement late in the game when it was unlikely he’d ever get to bat.
He was called up for good in mid-July, and even started several games. But he was never given consistent playing time. Of the 43 games he played in, he didn’t get to record a plate appearance in 14 of them. In 6 more he only got one. The most extreme case was on August 3rd when, in an extra innings win against the Philadelphia Phillies, Rivas came in to pinch run in the 8th, and then was pinch hit for in the tenth. By Jason Vosler. Who struck out.
Thanks to this frankly shocking disrespect by the organization, Rivas basically did not get a 2024 season, at either the major league or minor league level. It would not be surprising if his development has been totally derailed by this. But despite that, I think there’s hope for Leo. In a lineup filled with chase merchants, he seemed to be a different kind of hitter whenever he got the chance. He worked 10 walks, and got on base on a third of his plate appearances. That’s good for 5th best on the team last year (sample size police will not be listened to).
Despite me really enjoying Rivas, I hope that he doesn’t get much major league time this year. Meaning that I hope the organization gives him as close to a full AAA season as they can, injuries permitting. But in an infield assembled slapdash like flatpack furniture, it’s good to know that there’s always some extra bolts for when they’re needed.
Projections:
Fangraphs Depth Chart: 70 PA, 89 wRC+, 0.2 fWAR, .233/.333/.274
PECOTA: 92 PA, 84 DRC+, 0.1 WARP, .210/.312/.303
Overs/Unders:
Only two today. The Leo Rivas disrespect extends to the masthead, it seems.
Anders: Under
Rivas is useful in that he is a competent replacement level player at multiple positions, but the M’s are at a place where they actually have pretty decent middle infield depth and a host of more interesting options than Rivas (Moore, Bliss, Young, even Mastrobuoni and Solano). I just don’t see him getting anywhere near 100 PA on this team.
John: Over
I agree with Ders that it’d be both preferable and unlikely to see Rivas play more than what he’s listed for above. However, he’s the most defensively adept member of the entire group save for Moore (perhaps), and his foot speed makes him a stellar bench player. Seattle’s less platooned collective lineup makes for fewer substitutions in theory, but Jorge Polanco looks like he might merit pinch-running every now and then.