Luis Carlos Rivera Gutiérrez (born June 21, 1978) is a Mexican right-handed former professional baseball pitcher and current manager for the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles. He is tall and weighs .
Prior to being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Braves in 1995, he attended Sistema Prepatoria Abierta in Telucha, Mexico.
He began his professional career in 1996 with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Braves, not playing in American baseball in 1995 because he was loaned by the Braves to the Tigres del Mexico. With the GCL Braves in 1996, he went 1âÂÂ1 with a 2.59 ERA.
In 1997, he pitched for the Danville Braves and Macon Braves, going a combined 5âÂÂ1 with a 2.03 ERA in 13 games started. In 62 innings of work, he had 84 strikeouts and 24 walks.
Ranked the 44th best prospect in baseball in 1998 by Baseball America, Rivera went 5âÂÂ5 with a 3.98 ERA for Macon that season. He struck out 118 batters in 92 innings that season.
Rivera was ranked the 71st best prospect in baseball by Baseball America in 1999 and the fourth best prospect in the Braves organization. That year he went 0âÂÂ2 with a 3.11 ERA in 66 innings. He struck out 81 batters in 66 innings of work.
In 2000, he was ranked the 51st best prospect in baseball and the fifth best prospect in the Braves organization. He began the season on the Braves' Opening Day roster, making his big league debut on April 4. He made five relief appearances for the Braves, going 1âÂÂ0 with a 1.35 ERA in 6 innings of work. He spent time with the GCL Braves and Richmond Braves that year too, going a combined 0âÂÂ3 with a 6.82 ERA.
On July 31, 2000, Rivera was traded with Trenidad Hubbard and Fernando Lunar to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Gabe Molina and B. J. Surhoff. He appeared in only one game for the Orioles, allowing a walk and a hit in 2/3 of an inning. He also appeared in three games with the Rochester Red Wings, going 0âÂÂ1 with a 3.38 ERA. He played his final big league game on September 20, 2000.
Although he was ranked the fifth best prospect in the Orioles organization in 2001, he did not play at all that year or in 2002. On April 3, 2003, he was released by the Orioles. He has been playing in the Mexican League since then. On June 17, 2009 Rivera signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets, but never pitched for them. In , he appeared in one game for the Dorados de Chihuahua.
Rivera began the 2025 season as the manager for the Guerreros de Oaxaca of the Mexican League. Rivera was fired by Oaxaca on July 6, 2025.
On July 10, 2025, Rivera was hired as a coach for the Dorados de Chihuahua of the Mexican League. On September 30, Rivera was fired by the Dorados.
On October 22, 2025, Rivera was hired to serve as the manager for the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League ahead of the 2026 season.