| Will Rhymes | |
|---|---|
 Rhymes with theTampa Bay Rays in 2012 | |
| Second baseman | |
| Born: (1983-04-01)April 1, 1983 (age 42) Houston,Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 25, 2010, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 5, 2012, for the Tampa Bay Rays | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .266 |
| Home runs | 2 |
| Runs batted in | 29 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
William Daniel Rhymes (born April 1, 1983) is an American former professionalbaseballsecond baseman and current front office executive for theLos Angeles Dodgers ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). His title is Director of Player Development. He played in MLB for theDetroit Tigers andTampa Bay Rays from 2010 to 2012.
Rhymes was raised inHouston and has an identical twin brother named Jonathan.[citation needed]As a young child Rhymes first played baseball at West U. Little league in Houston, Texas where he first showcased his skills. Rhymes attendedLamar High School in Houston, where he played baseball.
Rhymes attended theCollege of William & Mary, where he playedcollege baseball for theWilliam & Mary Tribe. He majored in biology, rushed the fraternity ofLambda Chi Alpha, and graduated in 2005.[1]
Rhymes first earned attention from major leaguescouts while playingcollegiate summer baseball with theBrewster Whitecaps of theCape Cod Baseball League in 2004.[2][3] Though initially recruited as a temporary player, Rhymes's extraordinary effort and superb performance on the field earned him a contract through the entire summer and a starting spot at second base. Rhymes earned a reserve spot in the mid-season East Division All Stars as well as the post-season league-wide All Star Team.
Rhymes was drafted by theDetroit Tigers in the 27th round of the2005 Major League Baseball draft. He was promoted to the big league club on July 25, 2010, after injuries struck the Tigers lineup[4] and made his major league debut the same day in a pinch-hitting role against theToronto Blue Jays.
Rhymes was optioned back to the Triple-AToledo Mud Hens following the return of the Tigers injured second baseman but was recalled August 18, 2010. On September 20, Rhymes hit his first major league career home run off ofZack Greinke of theKansas City Royals. Rhymes’s home run was initially ruled an RBI triple, but after further review of the replay, the ruling on the field was overturned and ruled a two-run home run after it bounced off the horizontal iron support above the wall in right. This was the first time an instant-replay review granted a player the first home run of their career.[5] He made 54 appearances for Detroit during his rookie campaign, batting .304/.350/.414 with one home run and 19 RBI.[6]
It was announced at the start of the 2011 season that Rhymes would make theOpening Day roster for the first time in his career, and would be the starting second baseman for the Tigers. He made 29 appearances for Detroit, slashing .235/.323/.271 with two RBI and one stolen base.[7] On December 12, 2011, the Tigers non-tendered Rhymes, making him a free agent.[8]
On January 19, 2012, Rhymes signed a minor league contract with theTampa Bay Rays organization.[9] On May 1, the Rays selected Rhymes' contract, adding him to their active roster. On May 16, Rhymes was hit by a pitch byBoston Red Sox pitcherFranklin Morales. This incident caused Rhymes to faint from an adrenaline rush after being struck by the 95 mph fastball.[10] Rhymes played his last MLB game for the Rays on August 5. In 47 total games for Tampa Bay, he slashed .228/.299/.285 with one home run, eight RBI, and one stolen base.[11] Rhymes wasdesignated for assignment by the Rays on September 1, followingJeff Niemann's activation from the injured list.[12] He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-ADurham Bulls on September 3.[13] Rhymes elected free agency on November 2.
On November 15, 2012, Rhymes signed a minor league contract with theWashington Nationals organization.[14] He made 133 appearances for the Triple-ASyracuse Chiefs in 2013, hitting .274/.360/.349 with three home runs, 51 RBI, and seven stolen bases.
On December 30, 2013, Rhymes re-signed with the Nationals organization on a new minor league contract.[15] He played in 114 games for Syracuse during the 2014 campaign, batting .255/.313/.375 with five home runs, 42 RBI, and five stolen bases. Rhymes became a free agent after the season and later retired.
On March 17, 2019, Rhymes was promoted to director of player development in theLos Angeles Dodgers baseball operations department. Rhymes had previously served as assistant farm director.[16]
· Baseball Almanac