After going undrafted a year ago, junior shortstop Josh Rivera was selected in the third round with the 81st overall pick by the Chicago Cubs in the 2023 MLB Draft.
The Avon Park, Florida native posted just a .259 batting average and combined for 16 home runs in his first three seasons in Gainesville before exploding in his fourth and final season. Rivera slashed .348/.447/.617 with 19 home runs in 2023, the most by a Gators’ middle infielder in program history.
Rivera also posted his best fielding percentage (.965) of his career while making just nine errors last season.
Rivera’s significant improvement at the plate and in the field skyrocketed his MLB Draft stock as the 6-2 shortstop was as high as the 60th best draft prospect, according to Baseball America.
“You see him develop not only as a baseball player,” Gators’ Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan said on Rivera. “You could talk about the hitting and the defense, but the maturity level.”
Rivera led his team all the way to the CWS Finals in 2023, sparking the Gators with his leadership and skillset on and off the field.
WHAT THE CUBS ARE GETTING IN RIVERA
The Cubs are getting a rangy and athletic shortstop that routinely makes flashy plays defensively. Rivera’s athleticism could allow him to play multiple positions around the diamond if needed, but his silky-smooth play at shortstop in 2023 leads me to believe he’ll at least start his big-league career at the six hole.
Rivera became way more selective at the plate throughout his college career, posting a 13.6% strikeout rate in 2023 while holding 19.6% and 27.3% strikeout rates in years prior. The drastic decrease in strikeouts is a promising statistic for the 22-year-old shortstop who will look to continue that trend in the majors.
The only knock on Rivera’s game is that he only has one good season of college film. If Rivera can prove he can hit high level pitching for multiple seasons in a row, he’ll make a big-league roster.
What They’re Saying About Rivera
MLB Pipeline
“For his first three seasons at Florida (the first cut short by the pandemic), Rivera didn’t produce much, if at all, offensively, and dealt with arm issues in 2022. This year, though, he’s been healthy and shown he can impact the ball a lot more effectively. He’s not necessarily a pure hitter, with a bit of an unbalanced setup at the plate, but he’s been barreling up the ball all spring, with an advanced approach that has led to very few strikeouts and a healthy walk rate. All of that has enabled him tap into his raw power consistently. While he isn’t overly rangy, scouts do think Rivera has the chance to stick at shortstop. He’s good to his glove side and will make the everyday play consistently, but he won’t be flashy. Some think that, plus his arm being a little short, might make him a better fit for second base or perhaps a super-utility role. But his big step forward with the bat has made him one of the higher-profile seniors in the class.”
Baseball America
“The 6-foot-2, 215-pound righthanded hitter has plenty of bat speed, showed all-fields power and also hammered 92-plus mph fastball velocity this spring, to the tune of a .422/.513/.656 line. It’s a big and aggressive swing with plenty of length to the bat path, but Rivera has shown a solid ability to manipulate the barrel to all parts of the zone—and he’s had success expanding it at times as well. He might need to become more selective at the next level, but his improved walk and strikeouts rates this spring offer some encouragement about his approach. Despite a long finish, Rivera gets out of the box well and runs hard down the line, turning in above-average or plus home-to-first times, though he might be more of an average runner overall. He has solid defensive actions and arm strength at shortstop, with a chance to stick at the position, though third base or second could be a landing spot in pro ball as well.”
CAREER ACCOLADES
2023 3x Second Team All-American (ABCA, D1B, PG)
2023 2x Third Team All-American (BA, NCBWA)
2023 College World Series All-Tournament Team
2023 NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team
2023 ABCA First Team Southeast All-Region
2023 First Team All-SEC
2023 Brooks Wallace Award Finalist
2022 SEC Community Service Team
2022 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2021 SEC Co-Newcomer of the Week (May 3)
2021 Preseason Second Team All-SEC
2021 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2020 SEC Freshman of the Week (Feb. 24)