Baseball in Fort Wayne

The Chicago Cubs have included two former Wizards, Luis Rivas and Bobby Scales, on their list of non-roster Spring Training invitees.

Rivas is the most known and experienced of the two. He has previously played with the Twins, Indians, Rays and most recently, the Pirates. When he came through Fort Wayne with the Wizards in 1997, he was a considered their number one prospect. He debuted in 2000 but saw his career largely derailed at the hands of several injury-plagued seasons.

Last season, Rivas won an opening day spot with the Pittsburgh Pirates, in part due to Freddy Sanchez being injured. On that season, he hit .218 over 206 at-bats and 76 games.

With the Wizards in 1997, Rivas appeared in 121 games and hit .239 with 100 hits and 30 runs batted in over 419 at-bats. More about Luis Rivas can be found on page 58 of Baseball in Fort Wayne.

Bobby Scales played the full 2008 season within the Cubs organization at Trople-A Iowa. The 31-year-old infielder set career highs in batting average at .320 and had 94 runs, 59 walks to go along with a .415 on-base percentage over 121 games.

He finished tied for eighth in the Pacific Coast League batting race and finished tied for second in runs scored. A switch-hitter and right-handed fielder, he begins his 11th pro season after he was originally selected by San Diego in the 14th round of the 1999 Draft [DesMoinesRegister.com]

In addition to San Diego and Chicago, Scales has played in the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies organizations.

You may also be interested in reading these posts:

• Rivas Seeking Spot with Pittsburgh
• Rivas Secures Roster Spot; Condrey Close; Others Not So Lucky
• Rivas Adjusting to Short

Photograph of Luis Rivas is courtesy of the Fort Wayne TinCaps.

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