(Courtesy Southern Illinois Miners, Photo Credit: CB Wilkins)
The Southern Illinois Miners have announced the signing of right-handed reliever Wilson Rivera.
Born in Santiago, Dominican Republic, Rivera will be entering his eighth season of professional baseball after beginning his career with the Atlanta Braves organization. He signed in 2007 at the age of 17 and began his career as an outfielder, hitting .238 with 24 doubles, seven triples and four home runs before converting to a pitcher in 2010.
Over three seasons on the mound, Rivera has advanced through three levels with the Braves, and has been ranked as one of the top 30 players in the Braves system.
In that time, Rivera has seen action in 93 games and owns a 10-0 record with 30 games-finished. In 148 2/3 total innings, he has struck out 200 batters while walking 105 and allowing only 106 hits. His combined ERA over 93 games is 2.36.
“Wilson came to us with some a great recommendation from the Braves front office,” Miners manager Mike Pinto said. “He was a teammate of former Miner Brandon Cunniff last season and [he] also said great things. Wilson has had dominant numbers at every level at which he has pitched. We expect him to be an important part of our bullpen this season”
