Undrafted free agent middle infielders aren’t supposed to reach AA let alone make it to the majors. Twenty-seven year old career minor leaguers not on the 40 man roster are supposed to read the writing on the wall. They’re not supposed to get called up to the majors in August to help a team in a pennant race. 

And yet, that’s where T.J. Rivera finds himself today. The 27 year old undrafted free agent is now a major league player, a New York Met. 

Rivera got here by doing whatever he needed to do. As a 22 year old out of Troy University, Rivera hit .301/.349/.383 with eight doubles, one homer, and 19 RBI in rookie ball. Over the next five years, he would steadily improve as a hitter. The end result was him hitting .347/.389/.512 with 26 doubles, one triple, 11 homers, and 80 RBI. 

It was good enough for him to rack up the accolades this year. He was named to the Pacific Coast League All Star Game. He has been twice named the Pacific Coast League Offensive Player of the Week including being the winner the past week. He was the Pacific Coast League’s May Offensive Player of the Month. 

Still, it wasn’t enough for him to get called-up. The Mets started the year with Eric Campbell as the last player on the bench. When he faltered, the Mets turned to Ty Kelly.