Eckersley was good, So was Sutter in his prime. But factor in brilliance , longevity, smarts, and cool under pressure , Best relief pitcher of all time
In 1988, Rivera began to play shortstop for Panamá Oeste, a local amateur baseball team. Herb Raybourn, the New York Yankees' director of Latin American operations, saw athleticism in Rivera but did not project him to be a major league shortstop. A year later, Panamá Oeste's pitcher performed so poorly that Rivera volunteered to pitch. He excelled at the position, prompting his teammates to contact Yankees scout Chico Heron. Two weeks later, Rivera was invited to a Yankees tryout camp in Panama City where Raybourn was visiting. Raybourn was surprised to find Rivera pitching at the camp, since scouts passed on him as a shortstop a year prior. Although Rivera had no formal pitching training and threw only 85–87 miles per hour (137–140 kilometres per hour), Raybourn was impressed by Rivera's athleticism and smooth, effortless pitching motion. Viewing Rivera as a raw talent, Raybourn signed the amateur free agent to a contract with a US$3,000 signing bonus ($5,337 today) on February 17, 1990
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