Felipe Rivero Prefers Personality to Intimidation

BRADENTON, Fla. -- If you picture in your head the archetypal image of a Major League Baseball closer, you’ll probably come up something like the following.

You’re thinking of a tall, right-handed pitcher with a powerful fastball, a wipeout breaking pitch and a surly demeanor. He’s stone-faced on the mound and unapproachable to the point of intimidation.

Pirates closer Felipe Rivero checks maybe one of those boxes. He’s got a powerful fastball, alright. Other than that, he just doesn’t fit the prototype. But that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the most dominant relievers in baseball.

The first part is that he throws from the wrong side of the rubber. Of the top 30 pitchers in saves in…