Rivera trying to find groove

Steve Guiremand

Friday, May 15, 1998 | 10:25 a.m.

Once upon a time he was being compared in the Big Apple to Mickey Mantle.

Three years ago, Baseball America rated him as the second best prospect in minor league baseball, behind a shortstop named Alex Rodriguez and just ahead of players like Chipper Jones, Derek Jeter and Charles Johnson.

Two years ago, he still was ranked the third best prospect by Baseball America, behind Andruw Jones and Paul Wilson. No. 4 was Darin Erstad.

But these days Ruben Rivera's statistics look better suited for the next Mickey Rooney than the next Mickey Mantle.

Following Thursday night's 5-1 loss against Tucson at Cashman Field, Rivera was hitting just .150 with three home runs and 11 RBI. He already has struck out 42 times in just 100 at-bats.

So what's going on here? Is the 24-year-old Rivera really a big-time prospect or, as his early 1998 stats might suggest, a big-time bust?

"I'm not a real big follower of what other people say," Stars manager Jerry Royster said alluding to the next-Mantle tag. "But I will say he's capable of doing something out of the norm. We've got to wait and give him a chance to get there."

Rivera, according to Royster, has the chance to be a rare five-tool player in the majors.

"It's pretty amazing the ability he has," Royster said. "He's getting himself to be a five-tool guy. He hits with power, he runs, he can throw and he can play defense. The fifth one ... hitting for average ... is what we're waiting on."

Despite his slow start offensively, Rivera has made his share of eye-popping plays this year.

He hit a 433-foot laser shot off the top of the center field fence in a game against Calgary. And Stars' players still talk about his batting practice home run that cleared the embankment in left field at Cashman Field and landed on the roof of a shed more than 500 feet away.

Rivera also is a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen bases and leads the club in that catagory, no small accomplishment considering how few times he has been on base this year.

And there's also little doubt that he has a big-time major league arm. In Thursday night's loss to the Sidewinders, he combined with second baseman Dave Hajek to make the defensive play of the night, throwing out Tucson's Karim Garcia at the plate in the first inning on Mike Robertson's double off the bottom of the fence in right-center.

But offensively he has looked lost at the plate, especially trying to hit the curve ball.

Rivera's slow start did not shock Royster.

"I'm not surprised that he's struggled," Royster said. "His progress has been slowed by injuries (biceps tendon surgery, a broken finger) the last two years. But what has impressed me is his attitude. He's shown a lot of maturity by the way he's been handling these tough times. It hasn't been easy on him. But he's working on it and staying positive. I don't know if that would have been the case a few years ago."

Royster is hoping some notes he got from one of Rivera's old Arizona Instructional League coaches, Mitchell Page, in Memphis last week will help turn things around.

"He had seen Ruben play back when things were going well for him in '94 and '95," Royster said. "We've gone over a few things and working on them. I'm just hoping that something clicks. Obviously, Ruben is a talent. It's only a matter of time before he turns things around. And when he does, no one will be surprised."