Abdel “Flaco” Yadiel Rivera Vazquez was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Rivera relocated to Kissimmee, Florida for his final two years of high school. He graduated from Osceola high school in 2010.
After high school, Rivera left for Roswell, New Mexico to play baseball at New Mexico Military Institute. At NMMI, Rivera earned conference honors and was recognized for his pitching.
From 2012-2014, Rivera was a member of the Texas A&M International Baseball team. He was the top pitcher of the program during TAMIU's ranked season (Top 25) for the first time in program history, as well as getting TAMIU's first playoff win in the conference tournament. With a Career record of (15-8) era 2.3 (188 innings)
In 2015, Rivera joined the Texas A&M International University Baseball team 2015, taking the role of Student Assistant.
Rivera is currently earning his bachelors degree in kinesiology with a minor in Biology. He has aspirations of completing his Master’s degree in sports management, and continuing his career by becoming a baseball coach. He also hopes to work in the front office of a professional team in the future.
