Conversations with the Herd: Josh Rivera

By: Brian Frank

Bisons shortstop Josh Rivera has been turning heads around the International League this season with his amazing defense. He’s been using his exceptional range and rocket-like arm to make dazzling defensive plays. The 24-year-old remembers making his first great defensive play growing up in Sebring, Florida – slightly different than the gems he turns in now.

“I had my father's glove on that he would use for men's softball,” Rivera said. “It was in tee-ball. The ball was hit in the air and I was on the mound. They used to have kids there (on the mound), but obviously it's tee-ball. The ball went in the air, and I just had my glove kind of in a basket kind of way and the ball just fell right in. I was so excited. I ran, told my mom, told my dad, screaming, ‘Look! Did you see that?’”

Rivera's has shown quick feet and a strong arm this season. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

It will come as no surprise to fans who’ve seen Rivera fire the ball across the diamond to nip speedy runners at first base, that he was once a pitcher.

“I actually pitched a lot,” he said. “I pitched all the way through my junior year of high school, and then I stopped. But I didn't throw that hard. I wasn't blowing the doors off anyone. I was throwing 91-92 (mph) off the mound. I didn't really learn how to use my body on the mound. But out in the field, especially through college, I learned how to use more of my legs and put my whole body into it.”

Rivera played his senior season of high school baseball at IMG Academy, a private boarding school in Bradenton, Florida, that focuses on both athletics and academics.

“It was different, for sure,” he recalled of IMG. “Coming from a public school, I didn't really know what to expect. When I got there, it was everything you could have dreamed of, especially being a young kid with dreams of playing professional baseball. They do a great job with bringing both education and sports together. It was a great experience going to school. I met a lot of new people and a lot of different people from different places around the world, so that was a great opportunity. I still talk and know some of those people to this day, so it was a great experience. I think it was just a big opportunity for me to prepare for the next stage of my life.”

After hitting .352 his senior year of high school, Rivera was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 22nd round of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft. However, he chose to forgo the opportunity to turn professional at that time and instead headed to the University of Florida.

“Me and my family thought about it for a while,” he said of his decision to go the college route. “Their biggest goal for me was to go to college. So, it was kind of a no brainer once I got drafted. It was very exciting, don't get me wrong. But I had a great commitment and a great support system over at Florida, so it was no brainer. It was easy for me to decide.”

Rivera played four seasons at Florida, winning numerous awards, including being named to the S.E.C. Academic Honor Roll for three seasons. Academics were something instilled in Rivera at an early age, even if it wasn’t always his first priority.

“Yes, for sure, especially by my parents,” he said. “But, you know, growing up, being in high school and being a teenager, you can grow kind of rebellious towards school. There would be a lot of times where I didn't want to do my work. But at the University of Florida, we had great support staff academically, a lot of tutors that would help me understand things more clearly. Overall it would make the work a lot easier, especially having that helping hand telling me how to do things and how to go about my business academically to at least make me more of an academic weapon off the field.”

He also was a member of the S.E.C. Community Service Team, an honor that recognizes a student-athlete from every S.E.C. school in their respective sport for work done in giving back to their community.

“There was a nearby food bank that I would go to and help restock all the shelves, that would help people that were fighting food insecurity,” Rivera explained. “Luckily, with my major at Florida, Family, Youth, Community Sciences, I was in some courses that would teach me all about volunteer work and the importance of food insecurity. So, I'd probably say that was the main program I was more so interested in. I had a couple opportunities to go down there and help and it was just a very wonderful experience. I'm very grateful to have gotten that award.”

During the summer of 2021, Rivera headed to Massachusetts to play for the Chatham Anglers in the Cape Cod League. He ended up having an outstanding summer and was awarded the Willard Nichols Most Outstanding Player Award.

“It was a wonderful experience,” he said. “I had a great host family in Marilyn and Gene Sink. They took me in for that summer and showed me around Chatham, and really the whole Cape. It was just a very beautiful experience. We were managed by Tom Holliday down there in Chatham. It was a great team, great group of guys. It was really just a lot of fun, very relieving after a very stressful college season to go out there and really just have fun with a new group of people with the same mission – and that being getting better. So, it was a wonderful experience.”

Rivera broke out offensively during his senior season at Florida, slashing .348/.447/.617. He also belted 19 home runs and collected 72 RBIs – both of which are program records for a shortstop.  

“I feel like it was more just comfort,” he said of his success his senior year. “Comfort and playing freely. I knew that was the last time I was going to play in a Gator uniform and I really just wanted to do everything I could to be an example for the younger guys and also just live that SEC experience one more time. So, really just enjoying the moment, being where my feet are, and just trusting everything will work out if I put in the work that really changed everything for me.”

Taking infield at Sahlen Field. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

The Gators went 54-17 and advanced all the way to the finals of the College World Series, where they fell to LSU two games to one. Rivera hit two home runs during the tournament and was named as to the All-Tournament Team. Although they fell short in the finals, Rivera’s Florida team helped pave the way for the program’s future success.

“It was unbelievable,” he said of playing in Omaha. “It was definitely one of my favorite life experiences so far. That team was special. That College World Series was loaded with teams. A lot of talent in that College World Series. It was just a great experience. I was very happy and fortunate to go through that with those guys. And those guys ended up going (to the College World Series) the next year, so it was great to kind of reset that standard at the University of Florida – and it's even better to see them still achieving that.”

Rivera was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the third round of the 2023 draft. The unforgettable moment occurred as Rivera was going about an ordinary day.

“This is actually going to be funny, but I was taking a quiz at my kitchen table,” Rivera chuckled. “I was sitting there taking a quiz, doing a math course during that summer. I was probably on question three out of five. These questions were things where I'd have to read the question and work the problem out. So, I'm in the middle of working out the problem and I had the draft pulled up. I had gotten the call and I was very shocked. Luckily, it was right when my parents got off work. They opened the door right at the moment when they were saying my name. It was a it was a great experience. It wasn't really anything crazy, but it was awesome the way it played out.”

But did he finish the quiz?

“Yeah, right after,” he laughed. “I read the question and I was like, alright, how far did I get? I had to kind of start from square one again.”

Rivera began his professional career with a brief stop in the Arizona Complex League, before heading to the High-A South Bend Cubs in the Midwest League.

“It was pretty simple in terms of adjusting to the game,” he recalled. “The best part about it is we played every day, so I didn't have that wait for four days before playing three games. It was pretty tough at first on the body, especially after coming from a long season in college. But for the most part, I'd say the biggest challenge was trying to find things to do in my free time. In college, you still have classes or tutoring, and then you’ve got to go to practice and stuff like that, versus in pro ball, you usually have the morning to yourself. So, developing that morning routine before heading to the field was one of the bigger challenges for me in that transition. Overall, I knew some of the guys that I was on the team with, so they made that transition from college to pro ball pretty easy.”

He began the 2024 season playing for the Double-A Tennessee Smokies in the Southern League. He was caught off guard in late July when he was included in the trade-deadline deal that sent him and outfielder Yohendrick Pinango to the Blue Jays organization, in return for relief pitcher Nate Pearson.

“It was pretty shocking,” Rivera recalled. “I mean, mostly shocking because it was my first full year of pro ball and nobody really expects to be traded, especially first year guys from just talking to other guys that I know, and stuff like that. It was definitely shocking. But it showed me that this is a business and sometimes organizations are going to make moves that are best for their organization.”

“I was very fortunate to be a part of that trade with Yohendrick Pinango. We were both excited to get over here and introduce ourselves. I knew some guys previously from playing against them in college and playing with them in travel ball. So, getting to see those faces again once I got out to New Hampshire, it was a lot of fun and made that transition very smooth. We were able to just pick up where we left off in the season and keep playing. At the end of the day, that's the most important part, as long as I can keep playing the game I love.”

Rocking the Bisons throwbacks. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

He began this season with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, but was promoted to Buffalo after just 13 games.

“I think it's been pretty smooth, pretty great,” he said of his transition to Triple-A. “The biggest difference is probably the baseball. Playing with the major-league baseball here at this level. Sometimes it plays differently off the bat. Sometimes it plays a lot quicker. The spin is different, definitely. But overall it’s the same game. Just a little more offense at this level. That's because guys are so good with taking pitches that are close off the plate and not missing their pitches in the zone. So, that's been probably the biggest difference up here. But I feel like overall, the transition has been very smooth, especially with me having a full spring training with this group of guys and these coaches.”

Since May 9, Rivera has slashed .271/.386/.429 with two home runs. He credits his success at the plate to a combination of factors.

“Trying to simplify things,” he explained. “Try not to move as much in the box. Still have that rhythm, but also give myself enough time to see the pitch, whether that's fastball or spin. Really just working through things in the cage. Trying to stay consistent and understand that you're going to fail a lot more than you succeed in this game. Taking those little wins day by day, week by week, and trying to just build on those has been the biggest difference maker for me.”

Rivera has shown why the Blue Jays wanted to acquire him since joining the Herd, by producing at the plate and displaying terrific defensive skills. He believes hard work can help him take his game to the next level.

“Keep playing hard every day,” he said. “Keep putting up good at bats. Going out there, doing my job on defense, making sure these pitchers trust me and my guys to my left and right trust me to go out there and do my job. Just try to keep playing hard. Of course, there's little things I could probably do, base running wise, stealing bases and stuff like that. But, for the most part, I’ve got to control what I can control, and that's just how hard I play the game and being ready to play every day, no matter what.”