Oscar Rivera, with the headline from his perfect game
I've been reading up on Oscar Rivera all weekend via Google searches, and the more I read about our most recent acquisition, the more excited I get. For instance, did you know that we snagged him away from the Dodgers? Seriously, their Latin scout, Mike Brito said there was an 80% chance the Dodgers would have him in camp next Spring. Thank you Vinny! I have no doubt having Castilla on board aided tremendously in that coup.
Also, Rivera "was the only pitcher in the (Olympic qualifier) tournament who dominated the Cuban hitters." According to that last link he has an effective screwball and an excellent changeup that moves away from right handers. Muy Bueno! I'm absolutely giddy to see what he brings in February, and for the first time this offseason, I feel confident we have the piece in place to be an upgrade at the bottom of the rotation that I've been looking for. I'm moving him up in my PuRPs list, probably right outside the top 10.