Sunday, September 4, 2011

Rhyne Hughes, 2010 Bowman Draft #BDP97

Distinctive traits of one John Rhyne Hughes:

1. He is the only "Rhyne" in MLB history, except for Depression-era infielder Hal Rhyne. But I'm not counting last names. Ryne Sandberg and Ryne Duren spelled it differently, of course.

2. He shares a birthday (September 9, 1983) with pitcher Edwin Jackson. Other 9/9 birthdays include Hall of Famers Waite Hoyt, Frankie Frisch, and Frank Chance, as well as Mike Hampton, Todd Zeile, and Hugh "Losing Pitcher" Mulcahy.

3. Hughes spent parts of the 2007-2009 seasons with Tampa Bay's AA affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits. The Biscuits have the most fantastic logo I have ever seen.

4. When the O's promoted Rhyne to the majors for the first time last April, he broke the news himself via Facebook.

5. He garnered some attention with back-to-back multi-hit games to begin his big league career, going 4-for-9 with a double, a walk, and a pair of RBI. But he totaled only 6 hits in 12 games afterward, batting .158 (6-for-38) and earning a demotion in mid-May 2010. He hasn't been back since, and has hit .243/.320/.455 at AAA Norfolk this season.
6. But hey, he got a card in a "draft" subset six years after being drafted! That's a conversation starter, right?

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