Inside the Mind of a Manager: René Rivera – Class-A Lakeland Flying Tigers

When we look at the farm systems for each team in Major League Baseball, the unsung heroes in developing the stars of tomorrow are the managers who shape that talent in the minor leagues.

Regardless of the level, managers are always tasked with putting their players in the best positions to succeed. To thrive as a manager in the minor leagues in particular, coaches need to strike a balance between setting a winning culture and individual player development.

After you wade through the obvious organizational expectations and structure, the mindsets and makeup of minor league managers are highly unique.

Built from a combination of personal experience and observing the failure and success of managers before them, we’re kicking off a new series for an inside look into minor league management.

On October 28th, I sat down with René Rivera, the manager of the Lakeland Flying Tigers. The Flying Tigers are the Class-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.

In his first season as a manager, Rivera and his staff led the Flying Tigers to their first Florida State League title since 2012, as well as winning both the first and second half division titles.

After his success with the Flying Tigers during the regular season, Rivera was invited to manage the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League. At roughly the halfway point of the Fall League season, Rivera and the Scorpions are currently in first place.

During my conversation with Rivera, we discussed developing trust with his players, who inspired him to pursue a managerial role, winning the Florida State League title, and much more.

Here is my full conversation with Rivera, as we get a look inside the mind of a minor league manager.

The following Q&A was transcribed as spoken.

Q & A with Lakeland Flying Tigers Manager René Rivera

Emily Waldon:

Your first year managing with the Lakeland Flying Tigers and you walk away with a Florida State League title. Now, a fresh opportunity with managing the Scottsdale Scorpions. Do you remember the moment where you knew you’d eventually get into managing after your playing career?

René Rivera:

Yes, I love baseball so much and growing up in Puerto Rico, we are passionate about this game and I have seen other former players become managers. I knew I would right from the beginning.

However, I didn’t think about it until the last four years in my (playing) career when I knew that one of these days, my time for playing was going to be over. I was getting older and it was getting tougher to make the team in spring training.

I prepared myself the last four years as a player by talking with different coaches, talking to different managers, watching how to do things and approach the different situations in the game. I knew that I wanted to help the next generation of baseball players have the same opportunity that I had.

Waldon:

Who was somebody who inspired you through the way they managed?

Rivera:

Oh, man. There’s a bunch of them.

Waldon:

Hard to pick just one.

Rivera:

It’s really hard because I had really good managers throughout my career. Bud Black was great. I admire him a lot. Dave Robbers, Terry Collins, one of the best for me.

Even Mike Hargrove, Terry Francona. Kevin Cash, I really looked at him because of a lot of things that he did. There’s not a bad manager out there. I think they’re all different, but they all bring something special for the game. That’s why they’ve done it for many years.

Waldon:

For someone who’s not familiar with your path to managing in Lakeland, can you give me a little history of your path to this point?

Rivera:

Yeah. So, I finished my career in 2021 with Washington, and I knew that was pretty much it. In 2022, I stayed home, spent time with the family and then in 2023, I went to the MLB draft league. One reason that I did that was just because I wanted to see if it was a good fit for me.

I wanted to see if I was ready to come into an organization. A lot of people think that coming to the organization, everything is going to be easy. It is not. It’s a lot of work that you have to do.

So, when I went to the draft league in 2023, I loved it. I spent time with some young players, helping them overcome that adversity from finishing college and trying to sign a pro baseball contract. That was a really hard moment for them. I got to help them process it and all that. I loved it. Then, I got the opportunity to come with the Tigers, and I’m here now.

Waldon:

You obviously had some practice with this during your time with Lakeland this year, but now with Scottsdale, can you walk me through what your process looks like for dealing with different player personality types? What has been your approach to that so far?

Rivera:

I think that if you are honest with the player and you understand their situation, what they’ve been through, and where they’re from is really an important thing because they all grew up differently. You cannot get the feeling of how you have to approach them, if you don’t know where they came from. For me, I just try to give them the confidence that they’re good players, and I want them to feel comfortable around me and joke around with them and have fun.

But also, we are going to work hard, and that’s my mentality with them. The speech that I tell them on the very first day of the league is, “We’re going to have fun. We’re going to enjoy every second of it, but we also want to work hard because you’ve got a long road ahead of you and I want to help you achieve that goal.”

Waldon:

There has been a lot of talk about the culture in the Tigers’ organization from top to bottom. Toledo, Erie, West Michigan, obviously in Lakeland. How much did that culture factor into the success you guys had with the Flying Tigers this year?

Rivera:

I mean, it’s huge. I think that from the top, from Scott Harris down, we’ve got the same message. We work hard, we play hard, and we care about what we do on the field. So, when everybody gets the same message, it’s easier for the players to buy into it.

Waldon:

Help them understand the assignment.

Rivera:

Understanding and buying into it, yes, and that’s why we can see the success. And we are also in a really good place throughout the system.

Waldon:

Then obviously, the Florida State League title was a lot of fun for you this season, but what was another aspect of your managerial role that was the most fulfilling for you?

Rivera:

You know what, I enjoyed everything. So, I really just love to be around the guys. Be the mentor there and help them be better. And I think that’s what it’s all about, to take what you have and try to help them go to the next level. I think we did that successfully this year.

Waldon:

You’re right near the halfway mark of the Fall League season and you and the Scorpions are holding a first place slot. What are some of the takeaways that you’ve had so far working with guys from other organizations, as well as getting to take what you learned from the regular season and apply that here?

Rivera:

You know what? One thing is, they’re all different. They all have different ways to get things done. Every organization is different. But one thing they all have in common is that they want to play hard and they want to perform at a higher level. So, that’s the thing that I take from them.

I work with them and I tell them, “Hey, I like your energy. Let’s go have a good fall.”