Class of 2026 catcher prospect Francisco Rivero was recently selected the 5A Sonoran Player of the Year after powering Canyon del Oro to an impressive 10-game winning streak to end April.
Rivero went an incredible 18 for 29 (.621) with five home runs and 23 RBIs in that 10-game stretch that was key to the Dorados’ current 24-5 record and being in the second round of the 5A state playoffs.
Rivero had two home runs, including a walk-off grand slam, in a 10-6 win over Catalina Foothills on April 22.
Because of his performance in April, and his overall impact on the Dorados, Rivero is the Jet Sports Training Male Athlete of the Month.
The former Sunnyside Little League standout, who was part of the team that came a win away from the Little League World Series in 2019, spent his first two years of high school in the Dominican Republic training with the hope of being selected in the international draft.
The family chose to have him finish his high school experience in Tucson and potentially either play in college or go to a major-league organization after graduating from CDO next year.
Rivero is batting .513 overall with seven home runs and 36 RBIs.
2025 MALE ATHLETE OF THE MONTH HONORS
January 2025: Desert View soccer player Jose Galaz
February 2025: Desert Christian basketball player Tyson Dobbins
March 2025: Catalina Foothills volleyball player Jacob Martinez
April 2025: Canyon del Oro baseball player Francisco Rivero
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator five years ago and is presently a special education teacher at Gallego Fine Arts Intermediate in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
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